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A chemical model for understanding the emergence of homochirality of phospholipids for origins of life studies

Séminaire Chimie ED459

Dr. Michele Fiore, MCF (ICBMS Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, UMR 5246, CNRS, Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1)

Le Jeudi 15 Décembre 2022 à 14h

IEM, Salle de Conférence (bât. 40 campus Balard, 300 av. Émile-Jeanbrau)

Date de début : 2022-12-15 14:00:00

Date de fin : 2022-12-15 15:30:00

Lieu : IEM salle de conférences

Intervenant : Dr. Michele Fiore, MCF

ICBMS Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, UMR 5246, CNRS, Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1

Prebiotic systems chemistry is an emergent branch of chemistry that using a bottom-up approach try to shade light on the origin and emergence of life. It is still uncertain how the first minimal cellular systems evolved to the complexity required for life to begin. However, it is obvious that the role of amphiphilic compounds in the origin of life is one of huge relevance while they form giant vesicles that resemble compartments of biological cells, mimicking them in their dimension, membrane structure and partly in their membrane composition. The aim of this seminar is to summarize the most relevant progresses made in the field of prebiotic chemistry of amphiphiles and how these molecules have been synthesized under those that are called prebiotic conditions. After having worked on the phospholipid synthesis nowadays, my research interests are focused on the symmetry breaking of biotic molecule, the emergence of homo-chirality whereas a few investigations made in the last decades have been reported as successful.

Selected references

F. Skorda, C. Chieffo, M. Fiore, “Chemical models for understanding the emergence of homo-chirality of phospholipids for origin of life studies”, Symmetry 2022, 14(10), 2109. DOI: 10.3390/sym14102109 (open access)

M. Fiore, C. Chieffo, A. Lopez, D. Fayolle, J. Ruiz, L. Soulère, P. Oger, E. Altamura, F. Popowycz, R. Buchet, “Synthesis of phospholipids under plausible prebiotic conditions and analogies with phospholipid biochemistry for origin of life studies”, Astrobiology 2022, 22(5), 598. DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0059 (open access)

A. Lopez, D. Fayolle, M. Fiore, P. Strazewski, “Chemical analysis of lipid boundaries after consecutive growth and division of supported giant vesicles”, iScience 2020, 23(11), 101677. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101677

M. Fiore, R. Buchet, “How lipids symmetry breaking occurred in common cell ancestors?”, Symmetry 2020, 12(9), 1488. DOI: 10.3390/sym12091488

E. Altamura, A. Comte, A. D’Onofrio, C. Roussillon, D. Fayolle, R. Buchet, F. Mavelli, P. Stano, M. Fiore, P. Strazewski, “Racemic phospholipids for origin of life studies”, Symmetry 2020, 12(7), 1108. DOI: 10.3390/sym12071108

M. Fiore et al., “Glass microsphere-supported giant vesicles as tools for observation of self-reproduction of lipid boundaries”, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 282.

D. Fayolle et al., “Crude phosphorylation mixtures containing racemic lipid amphiphiles self-assemble to give stable primitive compartments”, Sci. Rep. 2017, 7, 18106.

M. Fiore, et al., “Giant vesicles from rehydrated crude mixtures containing unexpected mixtures of amphiphiles formed under plausibly prebiotic conditions”, Org. Biomol. Chem. 2017, 15, 4231.

Contact local IBMM : Prof. Alberto Marra (équipe GRM)