Nature Communications (Mar 2016)

Collaboration between primitive cell membranes and soluble catalysts

  • Katarzyna P. Adamala,
  • Aaron E. Engelhart,
  • Jack W. Szostak

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11041
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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Early cells likely consisted of fatty acid vesicles enclosing magnesium-dependent ribozymes. Here, the authors show that fatty acid derivatives can form vesicles that, unlike those formed from only unmodified fatty acids, are stable in the presence of magnesium and could support ribozyme catalysis.