BPCPPDYSOE21 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 24: Poster B: Active Biological Matter, Cell Mechanics, Systems Biology, Computational Biophysics, etc.

BP 24.40: Poster

Dienstag, 23. März 2021, 16:00–18:30, BPp

DNA accumulates and concentrates in artificial hydrothermal chimneys mimicking prebiotic geophysical conditions — •Maximilian Weingart, Lea Gigou, Ömer Coskun, William Orsi, and Dieter Braun — LMU München, Munich, Germany

The so called concentration problem on early Earth represents one of the greatest challenges for molecular evolution forcing it to proceed from highly diluted prebiotically formed molecules in an extensive ocean. Origin of Life research is therefore inclined to think about potential locations that provide necessary geophysical conditions to overcome this hurdle.

Recently, Barge and Coworkers [1] showed the formation of oxyhydroxide minerals in alkaline hydrothremal vents suggesting that prebiotic chemical reactions could have happened in such a scenario. Additionally, diffusiophoresis driven by the ionic gradient across the mineral membrane could move dissolved DNA molecules towards the chimneys where the charged strands adsorb to the mineral surface. This could locally increase DNA concentration while prohibiting back diffusion into the ocean at the same time.

To test this hypothesis, herein we used an artificial hydrothermal vent mimic [1] by using crimp flasks and injecting hydrothermal fluid (pH 12) into the Fe(II) containing ocean simulant (pH 5.5) with dissolved DNA ladders. Preliminary results showed higher DNA concentration in the mineral sample after selective analysis of remaining ocean and chimney. [1] Barge et al. PNAS (2019) doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1812098116