title: The composition and organization of cytoplasm in prebiotic cells.
abstract: This article discusses the hypothesized composition and organization of cytoplasm in prebiotic cells from a theoretical perspective and also based upon what is currently known about bacterial cytoplasm. It is unknown if the first prebiotic, microscopic scale, cytoplasm was initially contained within a primitive, continuous, semipermeable membrane, or was an uncontained gel substance, that later became enclosed by a continuous membrane. Another possibility is that the first cytoplasm in prebiotic cells and a primitive membrane organized at the same time, permitting a rapid transition to the first cell(s) capable of growth and division, thus assisting with the emergence of life on Earth less than a billion years after the formation of the Earth. It is hypothesized that the organization and composition of cytoplasm progressed initially from an unstructured, microscopic hydrogel to a more complex cytoplasm, that may have been in the volume magnitude of about 0.1-0.2 μm(3) (possibly less if a nanocell) prior to the first cell division.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada; E-Mail: jtrevors@uoguelph.ca ; Tel.: +1-519-824-4120;
authors.forename: Jack T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Trevors
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry; D056692:Prebiotics
chemical_list: D056692:Prebiotics; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate