Attractor dynamics drives self-reproduction in protobiological catalytic networks

作者：Amit Kahana, Lior Segev, Doron Lancet · 发表于：Cell Reports Physical Science · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101384 · 被引用次数：15 · 研究领域：Origins and Evolution of Life、Photoreceptor and optogenetics research、Protein Structure and Dynamics

The origin of life must have involved an unlikely transition from chaotic chemistry to self-reproducing supramolecular structures. Previous quantitative analyses of self-reproducing mutually catalytic networks made of simple molecules have led to increasing popularity of this pre-RNA scenario for life’s origin. Here, we investigate in detail the reproduction characteristic of the graded autocatalysis replication domain (GARD) computer-simulated physicochemically rigorous lipid-based model. This model displays compatibility with heterogeneous environments, addresses the network’s spatial demarcation, and portrays trans-generational compositional information transfer. However, we find that compositionally reproducing states are extremely rare, suggesting that random roaming would be a vastly inefficient path toward reproduction. Rewardingly, the present study shows that all self-reproducing states are also dynamic attractors of the catalytic network. This suggests a greatly enhanced propensity for the spontaneous emergence of reproduction and primal evolution, augmenting the likelihood of protolife appearance.