Encapsulation of Organic Materials in Protocells

Erica A. Frankel, Daniel C. Dewey, Christine D. Keating

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Once synthesized, the prebiotic organic materials would need to be further compartmentalized into discrete units that could serve as early, nonliving progenitors of the rst cellular life. ese precellular assemblies, termed protocells, are thought to have selfassembled from organic molecules and to have facilitated the conversion of the organic matter into functional macromolecules such as catalytically active nucleic acids and proteins (Chen and Silver, 2012). Protocellular compartments are generally considered to be characterized by a semipermeable boundary and to capture one or more additional aspects of living cells; ultimately, these structures must have developed mechanisms to grow and divide while replicating their internal informational and metabolic molecules (Luisi et al. 2006).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAstrobiology
Subtitle of host publicationAn Evolutionary Approach
PublisherCRC Press
Pages217-255
Number of pages39
ISBN (Electronic)9781466584624
ISBN (Print)9780429102646
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2014

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • General Earth and Planetary Sciences
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Encapsulation of Organic Materials in Protocells'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this