Another approach to protocell

In the previous posting I told about the highly interesting work of the group of Martin Hanczyc in attempts to build protocell. Also the group led by Jack. W. Szostak, who was the 2009 Nobel Prize winner in physiology or medicine - has carried out beautiful experiments in which they are able to create a candidate for protocell satisfying many of the basic requirements.

One such condition is the ability of protocell to transfer various nutrient molecules through the protocell membrane. In modern cell pumps and channels consisting of proteins are believed to serve that purpose (for a different view see the remark below). Genetically coded proteins were however absent during the primordial era. Therefore the membrane is constructed of branching lipids believed to exists during prebiotic era allowing sugars which are basic building bricks of DNA to permeate to the protocell. Given the DNA template , the basic building bricks of DNA molecule assemble to a copy of DNA in this protocell.

What is still lacking is the generation of the template strand of DNA itself and also the replication of protocell. If dark DNA in the form of dark nucleon strings is really there, the template could result as the assembly of the basic bricks of DNA around it and above a proposal for the analog of this kind of process is suggested. The replication of the dark genes would have been also present from the beginning and would have preceded the replication of genes and protocell. Biological evolution could be seen as a migration from dark space-time sheets to ordinary ones and somewhat analogous to the migration of life from sea to land.

Remark: There are puzzling experimental findings about quantal currents through cell membrane even in absence of metabolic sources. In many-sheeted space-time one could interpret these currents as various kinds of Josephson currents running between cell interior and exterior along current carrying space-time shees. Pumps and channels would be more like a diagnostic tool allowing cell to measure the concentrations of various important biomolecules and ions.

At first sight the approaches of Szostak and Martin Hanczyc look very different. These approaches have however a lot of common at deeper level if one accepts TGD based view as DNA-cell membrane system or its more primitive version as a topological quantum computer like system relying on the braiding of magnetic flux tubes connecting the counterpart of DNA nucleotides to the lipids of protocell membrane and on the prebiotic realization of genetic code at the level of dark nuclear physics.

One could also argue that the protocell of Hanczyk represents oil based life as opposed to life as we know it. In TGD framework this is a mis-interpretation. The protocells of Hanczyk live in an aqueous environment. Nitrobenzene oil is an aromatic compound as also sugars and contains nitrogen taking in the proposed scenario same role as phosphorus in ordinary life. Oleic anhydride is lipid and- would provide basic building brick for a particular variant of DNA like structure half-way between dark and completely chemical realization. Oleic anhydride would provide also the building bricks of protocell membrane and serve as a nutrient just like fat molecules- also lipids- serve in "real life".

For background see the chapter Evolution in Many-Sheeted Space-time.