Tuesday, April 24, 2007
RNA and the Origins of Life
The Kansas State Division of Biology and the Center for Understanding of Origins of Kansas State University have announced a two-day symposium entitled RNA and the Origins of Life. The symposium will be held in the K-State Student Union Forum Hall on Friday, April 27, and Ackert Hall, home of the Division of Biology at Kansas State University on Saturday, April 28.
The list of speakers includes Dr. Harry Noller of UC Santa Cruz who will speak on the "Origin of the Ribosome: The Cell's Protein Factory," Dr. Norman Pace of the University of Colorado, Boulder, who will discuss the "Origin of the Eukaryotic Cell," Dr. Ronald Breaker of Yale University, who will adress "Regulatory RNA: Evolution in Test Tube" Dr. Michael Russell of JPL Caltech, who will speak on "Evolution of First Cell: Biogeochemical conditions on early Earth," and Dr. Katsura Asano, of Kansas State University.
According to the event organizers, studies on the origins of life have recently made three major breakthroughs:
The list of speakers includes Dr. Harry Noller of UC Santa Cruz who will speak on the "Origin of the Ribosome: The Cell's Protein Factory," Dr. Norman Pace of the University of Colorado, Boulder, who will discuss the "Origin of the Eukaryotic Cell," Dr. Ronald Breaker of Yale University, who will adress "Regulatory RNA: Evolution in Test Tube" Dr. Michael Russell of JPL Caltech, who will speak on "Evolution of First Cell: Biogeochemical conditions on early Earth," and Dr. Katsura Asano, of Kansas State University.
According to the event organizers, studies on the origins of life have recently made three major breakthroughs:
- First, the recent discovery that the ribosome is a ribozyme has demonstrated that an RNA molecule can catalyze protein synthesis or translation, an essential part of reactions leading to gene expression. This strengthens the case for RNA as the basis of first life, “RNA world”. Studies on RNA-based machines including ribozymes and riboswitches have provided clues to potential ancient genetic and biochemical reactions. These reactions may have preceded the present form of life that is based on DNA information transmission and protein-mediated enzymatic activities.
- Second, genome sequence information from diverse organisms on earth has clarified the deepest roots of divergence of life and distinguished the three major Domains of life, the Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya.. In addition sequence information has allowed us to deduce a set of genes believed to have been present in the last common ancestor. Strikingly, these genes do not include membrane lipid synthesis genes. This lack may explain why the membrane lipid composition of Archaea is totally different from that of Bacteria or Eukarya. Does it mean that the last common ancestor was not bound by lipid membranes? If so, what did the first cell look like?
- Third, the discovery of a unique ecosystem around the alkaline hydrothermal vents on the deep ocean floor in 2001 has given a boost to the idea that life originated at such a location. Laboratory conditions mimicking the alkaline hydrothermal vents lead to the production of simple organic compounds such as amino acids and peptides. So such sites are an excellent candidate for the origin of life: they are protected from the intense UV irradiation and catastrophic meteorite impacts that characterized the early earth. Hydrothermal vents also produce the redox gradients that could have been exploited for energy by early chemosynthetic organisms.
You can register for the symposium here.
