Cyril Ponnamperuma Memorial. Trieste Conference on Chemical
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INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR THEORETICAL PHYSICS I.C.T.P,P.O. BOX 566,34100 TRIESTE,ITALY,CABLE;CKNTRATOM TRIESTE Padriciano 99 International Centre 1-34012 Trieste (Italy) for Genetic Engineering Tet: +39-40-37571 and Biotechnology Telex: 460396 ICGEBTI Telefax: +39-40-226555 IC/95/238 INTERNAL REPORT (Limited Distribution) International Atomic Energy Agency and United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR THEORETICAL PHYSICS Cyril Ponnamperurna Memorial. Trieste Conference on Chemical Evolution, IV: Physics of the Origin and Evolution of Life SUMMARIES* Sponsors International Centre for Theoretical Physics International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology UNESCO Universite Paris 12 - Val de Marne European Space Agency (ESA) Advisory Committee Mohindra S. Chadha, India, J. Mayo Greenberg, The Netherlands, Mikhail S. Kritsky, Russia, Alexandra J. MacDermott, UK, Alicia Negron-Mendoza, Mexico, John Oro, USA, Tairo Oshima, Japan, Manfred Schidlowski, Germany, Peter Schuster, Germany, Wang Wenqing, China Directors Julian Chela-Flores, ICTP, Trieste and IDEA, Caracas and Francois Raulin, Universite Paris 12 - Val de Marne Miramare, Trieste (Italy) 4-8 September 1995 * Received by 20 August 1995 MANBUH0MG STRADACOSTERA.il TEL 224)1 TELEFAX 224163 TELEX 4)0392 ADRIATICO GUEST HOUSE VIA GCGNANO.9 TEL 224341 TELEFAX 224531 TELEX 4*0449 MCnomOCESSOR LAB. VIABEKUT.3T TEL 224471 TELEFAX 224463 TEL£X4«n92 GAULEO GUEST HOUSE V1ABEMJT7 TEL 22401 TELEFAX 224599 TELEX460392 In this Internal Report we have gathered together some of the summaries of the papers to be read at the Conference, which were available at the time of going to press. The meeting was possible thanks to the generous support of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, the International Centre of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, UNESCO, Universite Paris 12 - Val de Marne and the European Space Agency. Julian Chela-Flores Francois Raulin Directors 20 August 1995 Abstract for the Trieste Conference on Chemical Evolution IV: Physics of the Origin and Evolution of Life "Cyril Ponnamperuma Memorial", Trieste, 4-8 September, 1995. Ab Initio Calculation of Molecular Energies Including Parity Violating Interactions Ayaz Bakasov, Tae-Kyu Ha and Martin Quack Laboratorium fur Physikaliske Chemie, ETH (Zentrum), CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland A new approach, RHF-CIS, based on the perturbation of the ground state RHF wave function by the CIS excitations, has been implemented for evaluations of energy of parity violating interaction in molecules, E^. The earlier approach, RHF-SDE, was based on the perturbation of the RHF ground states by the single-determinant "excitations" (SDE). The results obtained show the dramatic difference between Ej^ values in the RHF-CIS framework and those in the RHF-SDE framework: the E^ values of the RHF-CIS formal- ism are more than one order of magnitude greater compared to the RHF-SDE formalism as well as the corresponding tensor components. The maximal total value obtained for 19 hydrogen peroxide in the RHF-CIS framework is 3.661 x 10~ EH (DZ** basis set) while 20 the maximal E^ value for the RHF-SDE formalism is just 3.635 x 10" EH (TZ basis set). It is remarkable that both in the RHF-CIS and in the RHF-SDE approaches the diagonal tensor components of Ep,, strictly follow the geometry of a molecule and are always different from zero at chiral conformations. The zeros of the total E^ at chiral geometries are now found to be the results of the interplay between the diagonal tensor components values. We have carried out exhaustive analysis of the RHF-SDE formalism and found that it is not sufficiently accurate for studies of E^. To this end, we have completely reproduced the previous work, which has been done in the RHF-SDE frame- work, and developed it further, studying how the RHF-SDE results vary when changing size and quality of basis sets. This last resource doesn't save the RHF-SDE formalism for evaluations of Epv from the general failure. Packages of FORTRAN routines called ENWEAK/RHFSDE-93 and ENWEAK/RHFCIS-94 have been developed which run on top of an ab initio MO package. We used 6-31G? and 6-31G**, DZ and DZ**, TZ and TZ * *, and (lO«,6p, **) basis sets. We will discuss the importance of the present results for possible measurement of the parity violating energy difference between enantiomers of chiral molecules. Evolutionary, kinetic and thermodynamic aspects on the bioenergetics of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) Herrick Baltscheffsky and Margareta Baltscheffsky Department of Biochemistry, Arrhenius Laboratories, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden Energy barriers for energy carriers are of fundamental significance for the successful operation of the bioenergetic reactions in living cells. PPi and ATP are outstanding "energy-rich" examples of molecular "energy currencies" in biological systems, with kinetic barriers preventing excessively fast thermodynamically feasible hydrolysis from occurring. The barriers may be considered to facilitate the energy coupling roles of these phosphate compounds, which are to secure growth and maintain numerous other energy requiring functions. The enzymes involved in overcoming the energies of acivation of the bioenergetic reactions have evolved to be very well tuned for their roles. Three aspects will be discussed in some detail. The first is the fact that ATP at neutral pH is considerably more energy-rich than PPi, which thus has been called a "poor man's ATP". This is exemplified by the kinetic and thermodynamic differences observed between the requirements for the photosynthetic formation of PPi and ATP in certain photobacterial chromatophores by varying levels of energy supply. At lower pH, PPi and ATP are equally energy-rich, which may be of significance for acidophiles. The second concerns the possible evolutionary significance of the finding that, in the dark, a pH gradient suffices to drive extensive PPi synthesis, whereas ATP synthesis requires both a pH gradient and a membrane potential (Strid et al, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 892 (1987) 236-244). Thirdly, PPi as the most plausible predecessor to ATP in the origin and early evolution of life, will be discussed. SUMMARY ROLE OF TRANSIENT AND STABLE MOLECULES IN CHEMICAL EVOLUTION by fiohindra S. Chadha Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Bombay 400 085, INDIA Identification of a large number of transient and stable molecules in space ranging from simple dietomics to fairly com- plex polyatomic species like cyanopolyenes (HCCCCCCCCCCCN) has provided with a scenario for some exotic physio-chemical events leading to their formation. The composition of Jupiter and Titan atmospheres and labora- tory studies on simulated Jovian, Titan and Primordial Earth atmopheres have revealed the importance of many organic compounds like HCN, CO, C2H2 etc., in chemical evolution. The reactivi- ties of molecules like HCN, NH3, HCHO, C2H2 and H20 etc. , in primordial earth experiments leading to the formation of amino acids, nucleic acid bases, sugars and other building blocks necessary for the origin of life, have been well demonstrated. Similarities between products from laboratory experiments and those identified from some meteorites as well as their relation- ship to molecular species in the interstellar medium give ample support to general concepts of Chemical Evolution. FIRST STEPS IN EUKARYOGENESIS: Physical phenomena in the origin and evolution of chromosome structure (*) Julian Chela-Flores (+) International Centre for Theorelical Physics, Miramare P.O.Box 586; 34100 Trieste, Italy and Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 10, Burlington Road, Dublin 4, Ireland. Abstract. Our present understanding of the origin and evolution of chromosomes differs considerably from current understanding of the origin and evolution of the cell itself. Chromosome origins have been less prominent in research, as the emphasis has not shifted so far appreciably from the phenomenon of primeval nucleic acid encapsulation to that of the origin of gene organization, expression, and regulation. In this work we discuss some reasons why preliminary steps in this direction are being taken. We have been led to examine properties that have contributed to raise the ancestral prokaryotic programmes to a level where we can appreciate in eukaryotes a clear departure from earlier themes in the evolution of the cell from the last common ancestor. We shift our point of view from evolution of cell morphology to the point of view of the genes. In particular, we focus attention on possible physical bases for the way transmission of information has evolved in eukaryotes, namely, the inactivation of whole chromosomes. The special case of the inactivation of the X chromosome in mammals is discussed, paying particular attention to the physical process of the spread of X inactivation in monotremes (platypus and echidna). When experimental data is unavailable some theoretical analysis is possible based on the idea that in certain cases collective phenomena in genetics, rather than chemical detail, are better correlates of complex chemical processes. (*) Lecture to be delivered at the Cyril Ponnamperuma Memorial Conference. The Fourth Trieste Conference on Chemical Evoluion: Trieste, 4-8 Z9/95 (+) Also at the Instituto Internacional de Estudios Avanzados (Universidad Simon Bolivar). Apartado 17606 Parque