Application of Molecular Biology Techniques in Astrobiology

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APPLICATION OF
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TECHNIQUES
IN ASTROBIOLOGY
RICCARDO S. GATTA Ph.D. Molecular Genetics,
I.C.G.E.B. New Delhi, Regd Pharmacist
JULIAN CHELA-FLORES The Abdus Salam
International Centre for Theoretical Physics
Strada Costiera 11 34136 Trieste, Italy and
Instituto de Estudios Avanzados, Caracas 1015A,
Venezuela
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INTRODUCTION

• CLASSIC MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

APPROACH TO
RECOGNISE MOLECULAR BIOSIGNATURES,

• APPLY THIS IN AN ISOLATED ENVIRONMENT.

• SELECT TARGET,

• SELECT TECHNIQUE,

• ADAPT...

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SEARCH FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
OBSERVATIONS
- EVOLUTION
?
The Origin
?
?
?
MODERN
KNOWN
UNKNOWN
DARWIN (1809-1882)
ANAXIMANDER (VI BCE)
MACROSCOPIC
DEMOCRITUS (460-370 BCE)
DIVERGENT
CONVERGENT
PARALLEL
HAEKEL (1834-1919)
MICROSCOPIC
WOESE (1980s)
MOLECULAR
ANCESTOR
LAST
UNIVERSAL
MODELS OF
COMMON
EVOLUTION
ANCESTOR
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EVOLUTION NATURAL SELECTION
UNIVERSAL CONCEPTS?
IF
Yes
continue
(and skip next slide)
No
LIFE?
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LIFE AS A TARGET
LIFE
EVOLUTION NATURAL SELECTION
IDENTIFY QUANTIFY
UNIVERSAL CONCEPTS?
Structure
IF
Complexity
Transduction
Yes
continue
(and skip next slide)
Energy
No
LIFE?
Replication
Complex Structures
Specific Interactions
More Complexity
Chemistry
Metabolism
Emergent Chirality
Driving Forces
More Disequilibrium
Polymers
Molecular / Cellular
Waste
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CENTRAL DOGMA OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Crick, 1958
PROTEINS
DNA
RNA
DO NOT code for
REPLICATION DNA ? DNA
TRANSLATION mRNA ? Protein
TRANSCRIPTION DNA ? mRNA
to apply only to present-day organisms,
and not to events in the remote past, such
as the origin of life or the origin of
the code.
Crick, 1970
Figure from Labfrontier Corporation
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Voltage-gated channels
EVOLUTIONARY CRITERIA
K v K ir
Ca v Na v
TIME / EVOLUTION
Modern Proteins
Na
PHANEROZOIC 570 Myo - present
800 million years ago
Example of divergence from LUCA at Check-Point
Intervals
BUT
PROTEROZOIC 2.5 Gyo 570 Myo
Where can we seek homology?
Ca
Homology with known molecules
Check-Point Intervals For Homology
with known molecules
K
ARCHEAN 4.6 2.5 Gyo
Ancient Proteins, membrane channels
Moczydlowski, 1998
Early K channels
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2 BUILD UP (CONSTRUCTION)
1 INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS
BLUE 2, Joan Miro.
COMPOSITION 8, Vassily Kandinsky.
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3 THE PARADIGM
FROM NASA, JPL, UA, UC.
DECONSTRUCT
EUROPA
IDENTIFY BASIC ELEMENTS
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