title: From self-assembly of life to present-day bacteria: a possible role for nanocells.
abstract: A proposed sequence of major events for the self-assembly of life on Earth is examined. This sequence starts with a construction kit of elements and simple compounds from which a primitive membrane and then a nanocell with a minimal genome is self-assembled. The genome and cell increase in size and complexity and become capable of cell division, similar to present-day bacteria. Another factor to understanding this self-assembly of life is identifying the energy source(s) the first self-assembling nanocells were capable of using. This will also be examined from an evolutionary perspective with hydrogen as the postulated universal energy source [Morita, R. (2000) Microb. Ecol. 38, 307-320].
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1. jtrevors@uoguelph.ca
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Trevors
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Psenner
mesh_terms: D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D005075:Biological Evolution; D019369:Life