Alessandro Filisetti, Alex Graudenzi, Roberto Serra, Marco Villani, Davide De Lucrezia, Rudolf Marcel Füchslin, Stuart Kauffman, Norman H. Packard, Irene Poli
Abstract Background The concept of an autocatalytic set of molecules has been
posited theoretically and demonstrated empirically with catalytic RNA molecules.
For this concept to have significance in a realistic origins-of-life scenario,
it will be important to demonstrate the evolvability of such sets. Here, we
employ a Gillespie algorithm to improve and expand on previous simulations of an
empir... hiện toàn bộ
Vittorio Saggiomo, Yana R. Hristova, R. Frederick Ludlow, Sijbren Otto
Abstract Background The assessment of molecular similarity is a key step in the
drug discovery process that has thus far relied almost exclusively on
computational approaches. We now report an experimental method for similarity
assessment based on dynamic combinatorial chemistry. Results In order to assess
molecular similarity directly in solution, a dynamic molecular network was used
in a two-ste... hiện toàn bộ
Fatty acid vesicles are an important part of protocell models currently studied.
As protocells can be considered as pre-biological precursors of cells, the
models try to contribute to a better understanding of the (cellular) origin of
life and emphasize on 2 major aspects: compartmentalization and replication. It
has been demonstrated that lipid-based membranes are amenable to growth and
division ... hiện toàn bộ
Jakob L Andersen, Christoph Flamm, Daniel Merkle, Peter F Stadler
A classical problem in metabolic design is to maximize the production of a
desired compound in a given chemical reaction network by appropriately directing
the mass flow through the network. Computationally, this problem is addressed as
a linear optimization problem over the flux cone. The prior construction of the
flux cone is computationally expensive and no polynomial-time algorithms are
known.... hiện toàn bộ
Though Darwinian theory dramatically revolutionized biological understanding,
its strictly biological focus has resulted in a widening conceptual gulf between
the biological and physical sciences. In this paper we strive to extend and
reformulate Darwinian theory in physicochemical terms so it can accommodate both
animate and inanimate systems, thereby helping to bridge this scientific divide.
The... hiện toàn bộ
Autocatalytic sets are often considered a necessary (but not sufficient)
condition for the origin and early evolution of life. Although the idea of
autocatalytic sets was already conceived of many years ago, only recently have
they gained more interest, following advances in creating them experimentally in
the laboratory. In our own work, we have studied autocatalytic sets extensively
from a compu... hiện toàn bộ
Arne Dieckmann, Sabrina Beniken, Christian Lorenz, Nikos L Doltsinis, Günter von Kiedrowski
A self-replicating system based on a cycloaddition of a fulvene derivative and a
maleinimide is investigated using a two-pronged approach combining NMR
spectroscopy with computer simulations. In the course of the reaction, two
diastereomers are formed with identical rates in the absence of replication.
When replication is enabled, a network emerges in which one diastereomer takes
over the resource... hiện toàn bộ
The first RNA World models were based on the concept of an RNA replicase - a
ribozyme that was a good enough RNA polymerase that it could catalyze its own
replication. Although several RNA polymerase ribozymes have been evolved in
vitro, the creation of a true replicase remains a great experimental challenge.
At first glance the alternative, in which RNA replication is driven purely by
chemical an... hiện toàn bộ