Berlin 2024 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 24: Synthetic life-like systems and Origins of Life

BP 24.10: Talk

Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 17:45–18:00, H 1028

Coupling polymerization with droplet condensation simplifies forming protocells — •Xi Chen, Jens-Uwe Sommer, and Tyler Harmon — Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden, Institut Theory der Polymere 01069 Dsden

Macromolecules are essential building blocks of life, but how these long chains could be first synthesized in prebiotic conditions remains a mystery due to two major issues: the conditions are too dilute for robust chemical reactions and polymerization is expected to produce only short chains. Two independent solutions have been proposed for these two problems: droplet compartments could concentrate molecules for chemical reactions; autocatalytic templated assembly could produce polymers with medium lengths. We propose that coupling polymerization and liquid-liquid phase separation much more robustly solves both problems than either one individually. We use effective droplet model to investigate a minimal system with autocatalytic polymerization of a single monomer type. Small molecules form condensed droplets when polymerized into medium chains. These droplets further function as a reaction center that could significantly enhance the degree of polymerization to generate longer chains than templating alone. Additionally, the compartment is stable to much lower dilute concentrations.