Reproduction of a protocell by replication of a minority molecule in a catalytic reaction network |
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Authors: | Kamimura Atsushi Kaneko Kunihiko |
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Affiliation: | Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. |
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Abstract: | For understanding the origin of life, it is essential to explain the development of a compartmentalized structure, which undergoes growth and division, from a set of chemical reactions. In this study, a hypercycle with two chemicals that mutually catalyze each other is considered in order to show that the reproduction of a protocell with a growth-division process naturally occurs when the replication speed of one chemical is considerably slower than that of the other chemical, and molecules are crowded as a result of replication. It is observed that the protocell divides after a minority molecule is replicated at a slow synthesis rate, and thus, a synchrony between the reproduction of a cell and molecule replication is achieved. The robustness of such protocells against the invasion of parasitic molecules is also demonstrated. |
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