2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Exploration of protein functions that can be expressed solely using amino acids estimated to exist in the primordial environment
| Project/Area Number |
19K21903
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
Medium-sized Section 17:Earth and planetary science and related fields
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| Research Institution | Waseda University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-06-28 – 2023-03-31
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| Keywords | 生命の起源 / タンパク質の起源 / RNA結合 / ATP結合 / 鉄硫黄クラスター / プレバイオティックアミノ酸 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
In this study, we conducted experiments to estimate the functions of primitive proteins composed of amino acids synthesized in the prebiotic environment before the origin of life. Specifically, we investigated a small number of amino acid species necessary for the construction of proteins with RNA binding, ATP binding, or iron-sulfur cluster formation. The study revealed that proteins reconstructed with 15 or fewer amino acid species possess RNA binding ability. Additionally, we reconstructed proteins with ATP binding activity using 12 amino acid species. Furthermore, based on molecular phylogenetic analysis of existing bacterial and archaeal ferredoxins and the inferred ancestral amino acid sequence, we established a model for the emergence of primitive ferredoxin through duplication of a peptide consisting of 29 residues primarily composed of prebiotic amino acids.
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| Free Research Field |
地球生命科学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
化学進化実験、隕石の分析などの地球化学的研究から予測された、初期地球に存在したアミノ酸を主要な構成成分として再構成されたタンパク質が発現し得る機能をいくつか示した。また生命の起源に取り組む方法論として、現在のタンパク質から全生物の共通祖先のタンパク質を経てさらに過去へと遡る研究と、化学進化や地球化学的な研究とを結びつけた新しいアプローチを確立した。加えて、分子系統解析を主体としたトップダウン型手法に構成アミノ酸の種類数を系統的に減らしていくアミノ酸組成単純化実験を組み合わせることが、全生物の共通祖先を超えて過去に遡り、タンパク質の起源に取り組むための有効な手段となり得ることを示した。
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