In the origin of life, the transition from small building blocks to complex, organised assemblies set the stage for the emergence of biological systems. These supramolecular structures bridge the gap between simple organic molecules and the complex, organised systems that characterise living systems.
ESCRT-III proteins form supramolecular structures that are essential for membrane remodelling processes across the tree of life. In archaea and eukaryotes, the ESCRT-III proteins assemble into polymers that cut membrane tubes together with Vps4, an AAA–ATPase.
Oceanic islands harbor a disproportional fraction of Earth’s biodiversity, but are also host to many species that are threatened with extinction. Advantages of isolation are reduced competition, predation and parasitism, availability of new ecological niches, and opportunity for unique traits (that might become very advantageous in the future) to become fixed due to genetic drift. That is, an isolated system is a cradle for new forms of life.
Current theory holds that, during the early stages of chemical evolution, microscopic compartments called protocells played a critical role, because they were able to sequester and concentrate small molecules that would react together, to eventually yield the building blocks of life.
The cytoplasm of cells is a highly crowded environment and it is intriguing to see how biomolecular processes still can work in such an environment. Given that cells constantly convert energy, the cytoplasm has also been described as ‘active matter’.
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) or coacervation is a key process to regulate self-assembly of proteins and other molecules within living cells. LLPS occurs within macromolecular solutions generating a liquid concentrated phase that is separated out of solution somewhat similar to the way oil de-mixes from water.
One of the key features of life is the presence of its essential molecules such as amino acids, proteins, sugars and DNA as one mirror image form. These single handed chiral (from Greek χειρ (kheir), “hand”) structures are considered crucial for the evolution of life on the earth; a phenomenon called homochirality.