In the beginning
UCL professor recognised in Blavatnik Awards for work on the origin of life.
Professor Matthew Powner (Source: ucl.ac.uk)
Arguably one of the most profound questions that confronts philosophers is this one of “why are we here?” Ancient myths have given rise to numerous religious explanations such as Judeo-Christian intelligent design creationism. Yet, science cannot provide an answer as to why we are here, and is too modest to even try. However, the question of how life formed is one of science’s most perplexing mysteries and an active area of research. It is this field which UCL Professor of Organic Chemistry, Matthew Powner, is engaged in and has recently been named as a finalist for the 2021 Blavatnik Award, in recognition of his work.
When you imagine the most primitive life forms, you might reasonably think of single-celled organisms such as bacteria. Yet, even bacterial cells contain structures such as ribosomes and other multi-protein complexes. This presents a problem, because anyone with a GCSE in Biology will tell you that ribosomes are the site at which amino acids are polymerised to form proteins. Yet, ribosomes themselves are comprised of proteins and RNA - unlikely to have self-assembled from the primordial soup. So, if proteins come from ribosomes, and vice versa, which came first? The origin of life field is littered with such chicken-and-egg conundrums. To solve them, we must first consider what the simplest possible living organism might look like.
This is a problematic question since there is no agreed-upon definition for what constitutes a living organism. However, astrobiologists interested in life beyond our planet favour a model devised by Hungarian theoretical biologist Tibor Gánti called a “chemoton”, which isn’t tied to specific chemicals like DNA, but instead to an overall organisational model. In Gánti’s chemoton, the simplest form of life requires three interlocking mechanisms: a metabolic cycle, for turning food into energy; template replication, for reproduction; and a membrane, to delineate the organism.
This integrated model underpins the “Systems Chemistry” approach that Powner’s research has taken. Systems Chemistry is a relatively young field that explores complex molecular systems showing emergent properties; i.e. properties that go beyond the sum of the characteristics of the individual constituents of the system. It can therefore provide us with the tantalising vision of the de novo synthesis of life and the idea of self-synthesising and self-repairing chemical factories.
Powner has demonstrated that it is possible to engineer systems composed of small molecules and chemical elements that could shape the basic structures and functions of life, reproducing products observed in cellular metabolism and protein synthesis. In a paper published recently in Science, Powner puts forward a plausible prebiotic synthesis of cysteine - an amino acid previously believed to be a product of evolution - and demonstrates its ability to catalyse the formation of proteins in water between all 20 different amino acids. This rather neatly implicates cysteine as both a precursor and catalyst in non-ribosomal protein synthesis, thus giving a plausible explanation for the formation of life on Earth.
Commenting on his work and inclusion amongst 2021 Blavatnik finalists, Powner stated that he felt “privileged to work on this fascinating, multifaceted problem with a fantastic team of co-workers, colleagues and collaborators, and it is an honour to be selected as a 2021 Blavatnik Awards Finalist in recognition of our work.”
The Awards, issued by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences, are open to scientists aged 42 or younger. They aim to identify and encourage young scientists early in their careers, when they are most in need of funding and recognition. In the UK, a Laureate and two finalists are selected by a jury of leading scientists in each of three categories: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering and Chemistry; with finalists receiving a cash prize of $30,000 (£22,000).
Powner, along with the other eight recipients of 2021 Blavatnik Awards, are to be formally honoured at a gala dinner and ceremony at Banqueting House in Central London on June 8, subject to Covid restrictions.