title: Prebiotic cell membranes that survive extreme environmental pressure conditions.
abstract: Attractive candidates for compartmentalizing prebiotic cells are membranes comprised of single-chain fatty acids. It is generally believed that life may have originated in the depth of the protoocean, that is, under high hydrostatic pressure conditions, but the structure and physical-chemical properties of prebiotic membranes under such conditions have not yet been explored. We report the temperature- and pressure-dependent properties of membranes composed of prebiotically highly-plausible lipids and demonstrate that prebiotic membranes could not only withstand extreme temperatures, but also serve as robust models of protocells operating in extreme pressure environments. We show that pressure not only increases the stability of vesicular systems but also limits their flexibility and permeability to solutes, while still keeping the membrane in an overall fluid-like and thus functional state.
authors: Physical Chemistry I-Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227 Dortmund (Germany); Current address: Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund (Germany).
authors: Shobhna
authors: S
authors: Kapoor
authors: Melanie
authors: M
authors: Berghaus
authors: Saba
authors: S
authors: Suladze
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Prumbaum
authors: Sebastian
authors: S
authors: Grobelny
authors: Patrick
authors: P
authors: Degen
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Raunser
authors: Roland
authors: R
authors: Winter
mesh_terms: D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure; D056692:Prebiotics; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D056692:Prebiotics
keywords: biophysical chemistry; high hydrostatic pressures; prebiotic cell membranes; single-chain fatty acids; small-angle scattering