Toward homochiral protocells in noncatalytic peptide systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates the APED model's spatial dynamics, showing that it can form stable homochiral proto-domains, which could be early protocells, under conditions mimicking prebiotic Earth.

Contribution

It demonstrates how spatial effects and diffusive slowdown can stabilize homochiral protocell-like structures in peptide systems, advancing understanding of prebiotic homochirality.

Findings

Formation of isolated homochiral proto-domains in spatial APED systems

Diffusive slowdown stabilizes homochiral structures

Potential relevance to early protocell formation

Abstract

The activation-polymerization-epimerization-depolymerization (APED) model of Plasson et al. has recently been proposed as a mechanism for the evolution of homochirality on prebiotic Earth. The dynamics of the APED model in two-dimensional spatially-extended systems is investigated for various realistic reaction parameters. It is found that the APED system allows for the formation of isolated homochiral proto-domains surrounded by a racemate. A diffusive slowdown of the APED network such as induced through tidal motion or evaporating pools and lagoons leads to the stabilization of homochiral bounded structures as expected in the first self-assembled protocells.