what is special about phosphate? - amazon s3 · phosphate? •scarce • insoluble, unreactive •...
TRANSCRIPT
What is Special About Phosphate?
Christopher ButchResearch ScientistBMSIS, ELSI, and Emory University
The roles of phosphate in biology • Structural
EnergyActivation
• PhysicalEnergyActivation
• Chemical
The roles of phosphate in biology • Structural
• Nucleic Acid Backbones
The roles of phosphate in biology • Structural
• Nucleic Acid Backbones
The roles of phosphate in biology • Structural
• Nucleic Acid Backbones
The roles of phosphate in biology • Structural
• Nucleic Acid Backbones
The roles of phosphate in biology • Structural
• Nucleic Acid Backbones• Phospholipid Bilayers
The roles of phosphate in biology • Structural
• Nucleic Acid Backbones• Phospholipid Bilayers
The roles of phosphate in biology • Structural
• Nucleic Acid Backbones• Phospholipid Bilayers
The roles of phosphate in biology • Physical
• Compartmentalization
The roles of phosphate in biology • Physical
• Compartmentalization
The roles of phosphate in biology • Chemical
• Energy
“On any given day you turn over your body weight equivalent in
ATP, the principal energy currency of the cell.”
Törnroth-Horsefield, Susanna, and Richard Neutze."Opening and closing the metabolite gate." Proceedingsof the National Academy of Sciences (2008): pnas-0810654106.
The roles of phosphate in biology • Chemical
• Energy
The roles of phosphate in biology
• Chemical• Energy
• Chemical• Energy• Activation
Synthesis of β-5-phosphorybosylamine
The roles of phosphate in biology • Chemical
• Energy• Activation
• Physical• Compartmentalization• Signaling
• Structural• Nucleic Acid Backbones• Phospholipid Bilayers
Why wouldn’t life use phosphate?• Scarce
• Insoluble, unreactive• No polyphosphate minerals• One pyrophosphate mineral• Limited geochemical production of reactive forms
Keefe, Anthony D., and Stanley L. Miller. "Are polyphosphates or phosphate esters prebiotic reagents?." Journal of molecular evolution 41.6 (1995): 693-702.
Open Questions:• When did life begin to use
phosphate?
Open Questions:• When did life begin to use
phosphate? • If not at the very beginning, what
came before?
Open Questions:• When did life begin to use
phosphate?• If not at the very beginning, what
came before?• Where did early phosphate come
from?
Suggested ReadingLibreTexts: Organic Chemistry with a Biological Emphasis
(Soderberg) – Chapter 10: Phosphoryl transfer reactionshttps://chem.libretexts.org/Textbook_Maps/Organic_Chemistry/Book%3A_Organic_Chemistry_with_a_Biological_Emphasis_(Soderberg)/10%3A_Phosphoryl_transfer_reactions
Remnants of an Ancient Metabolism without Phosphatehttps://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(17)30133-2
Life - Special Issue "Phosphorus (P) and the Origins of Life“https://www.mdpi.com/journal/life/special_issues/origins_life
ReferencesWestheimer, Frank H. "Why nature chose phosphates." Science
235.4793 (1987): 1173-1178.Soderberg, Timothy. "Organic Chemistry with a Biological
Emphasis Volume I." (2016).Goldford, Joshua E., et al. "Remnants of an ancient metabolism
without phosphate." Cell 168.6 (2017): 1126-1134.Törnroth-Horsefield, Susanna, and Richard Neutze. "Opening
and closing the metabolite gate." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2008): pnas-0810654106.
Keefe, Anthony D., and Stanley L. Miller. "Are polyphosphates or phosphate esters prebiotic reagents?." Journal of molecular evolution 41.6 (1995): 693-702.