Page 12 - Abacoa Community News - September '22

Page 12, Abacoa
scieNce ON the cUttiNG edGe

The Scripps Research Institute News

Scientists Discover New this out, and it turned out to be even simpler than we had

“Origins Of Life” Chemical imagined,” says Krishnamurthy. “If you mix only the keto
acid, cyanide and ammonia, it just sits there. As soon as
Reactions you add carbon dioxide, even trace amounts, the reaction
picks up speed.”
The reaction generates amino acids and orotic acid, Because the new reaction is relatively similar to what
the building blocks of proteins and DNA. occurs today inside cells – except for being driven by
Four billion years ago, the Earth looked very different cyanide instead of a protein – it seems more likely to be
than it does today, devoid of life and covered by a vast the source of early life, rather than drastically different
ocean. Over the course of millions of years, in that reactions, the researchers say. The research also helps
primordial soup, life emerged. Researchers have long the same conditions, there was a way to generate amino bring together two sides of a longstanding debate about
theorized how molecules came together to spark this acids, more complex molecules that compose proteins in the importance of carbon dioxide to early life, concluding
transition. Now, scientists at Scripps Research have all known living cells. that carbon dioxide was key, but only in combination with
discovered a new set of chemical reactions that use In cells today, amino acids are generated from other molecules.
cyanide, ammonia and carbon dioxide – all thought to be precursors called α-keto acids using both nitrogen and In the process of studying their chemical soup,
common on the early Earth – to generate amino acids and specialized proteins called enzymes. Researchers have Krishnamurthy’s group discovered that a byproduct of
orotic acid, the building blocks of proteins and DNA. found evidence that α-keto acids likely existed early in the same reaction is orotate, a precursor to nucleotides
“We’ve come up with a new paradigm to explain Earth’s history. However, many have hypothesized that that make up DNA and RNA. This suggests that the same
this shift from prebiotic to biotic chemistry,” says before the advent of cellular life, amino acids must have primordial soup, under the right conditions, could have
Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy, Ph.D., an associate been generated from completely different precursors, given rise to a large number of the molecules that are
professor of chemistry at Scripps Research, and lead aldehydes, rather than α-keto acids, since enzymes to required for the key elements of life.
author of the new paper, published July 28, 2022 in the carry out the conversion did not yet exist. But that idea “What we want to do next is continue probing what
journal Nature Chemistry. “We think the kind of reactions has led to debate about how and when the switch occurred kind of chemistry can emerge from this mixture,” says
we’ve described are probably what could have happened from aldehydes to α-keto acids as the key ingredient for Krishnamurthy. “Can amino acids start forming small
on early Earth.” making amino acids. proteins? Could one of those proteins come back and
In addition to giving researchers insight into the After their success using cyanide to drive other begin to act as an enzyme to make more of these amino
chemistry of the early Earth, the newly discovered chemical reactions, Krishnamurthy and his colleagues acids?”
chemical reactions are also useful in certain manufacturing suspected that cyanide, even without enzymes, might In addition to Krishnamurthy, authors of the study,
processes, such as the generation of custom labeled also help turn α-keto acids into amino acids. Because “Prebiotic Synthesis of α-Amino Acids and Orotate from
biomolecules from inexpensive starting materials. they knew nitrogen would be required in some form, α-Ketoacids Potentiates Transition to Extant Metabolic
Earlier this year, Krishnamurthy’s group showed they added ammonia – a form of nitrogen that would Pathways,” are Sunil Pulletikurti, Mahipal Yadav and
how cyanide can enable the chemical reactions that have been present on the early Earth. Then, through trial Greg Springsteen.
turn prebiotic molecules and water into basic organic and error, they discovered a third key ingredient: carbon This work was supported by funding from the NSF
compounds required for life. Unlike previously proposed dioxide. With this mixture, they quickly started seeing Center for Chemical Evolution (CHE-1504217), a NASA
reactions, this one worked at room temperature and in a amino acids form. exobiology grant (80NSSC18K1300) and a grant from
wide pH range. The researchers wondered whether, under “We were expecting it to be quite difficult to figure the Simons Foundation (327124FY19).

Research Scientists Discover could enable broader protection against the virus and to investigate the antibody structures. They found these
antibodies recognize a conserved region on the edge of the
variants of concern,” says senior author Raiees Andrabi,
Antibodies That Induce Broad Ph.D., an investigator in the Department of Immunology site where the spike protein binds to host cells, called the
Immunity Against SARS and Microbiology. angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor binding
In the study, rhesus macaque monkeys were immunized

site. This is different than the region where the majority of
Viruses, Including Emerging with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein – the outside portion human antibodies target, which overlaps more with the ACE2
receptor binding site and is more variable to change.
on the virus that allows it to penetrate and infect host cells.
Variants Two shots were administered, resembling a similar strategy “The antibody structures reveal an important area
used with currently available mRNA vaccines in humans. common to multiple SARS-related viruses. This region to
Finding opens the door Unlike these vaccines, however, the macaques were shown date has rarely been seen to be targeted by human antibodies
for new vaccine approaches to have a broad neutralizing antibody response against the and suggests additional strategies that can be used to coax
and strategies. virus–including variants such as Omicron. our immune system into recognizing this particular region of
As the world has Intrigued by this stark difference, the scientists then
witnessed firsthand, SARS- collaborated with Ian Wilson’s lab at Scripps Research Research Scientists Discover Antibodies on page 16
CoV-2, the virus that
causes COVID, is difficult
to control because of its
ability to rapidly mutate and produce many different variants. Need More Storage?
Scientists at Scripps Research have now identified antibodies
that are effective against many different SARS-CoV-2
variants, as well as other SARS viruses like SARS-CoV-1, WE CAN HELP!
the highly lethal virus that caused an outbreak in 2003. The
results showed that certain animals are surprisingly more
able to make these types of “pan-SARS virus” antibodies
than humans, giving scientists clues as to how to make better
vaccines.
The findings, published recently in Science Translational
Medicine, reveal the antibody structures that produce this NEW state of the art facility in Jupiter!
more comprehensive immune response. They found these
neutralizing antibodies recognize a viral spike region that is
relatively more conserved, meaning that it is present across
many different SARS viruses and is therefore less likely to FIRST *
mutate over time. This discovery can inform how to develop MONTHFREE!
next-generation vaccines that can offer additional protection
against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and other SARS-
related viruses.
“If we can design vaccines that elicit the similar broad * Certain restrictions apply. Mention or present this offer.
responses that we’ve seen in this study, these treatments
Modern Security Climate-Controlled Secure Car
and Safety Storage Units Storage

Store. Pack. Move. 50 Frederick Small Road
And More! Jupiter, FL 33458

CompassSelfStorage.com (561) 556-2191