Life's utilization of B vitamins on early Earth |
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Authors: | D. R. Monteverde L. Gómez‐Consarnau C. Suffridge S. A. Sañudo‐Wilhelmy |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA;2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA |
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Abstract: | Coenzymes are essential across all domains of life. B vitamins (B1‐thiamin, B2‐riboflavin, B3‐niacin, B5‐pantothenate, B6‐pyridoxine, B7‐biotin, and B12‐cobalamin) represent the largest class of coenzymes, which participate in a diverse set of reactions including C1‐rearrangements, DNA repair, electron transfer, and fatty acid synthesis. B vitamin structures range from simple to complex heterocycles, yet, despite this complexity, multiple lines of evidence exist for their ancient origins including abiotic synthesis under putative early Earth conditions and/or meteorite transport. Thus, some of these critical coenzymes likely preceded life on Earth. Some modern organisms can synthesize their own B vitamins de novo while others must either scavenge them from the environment or establish a symbiotic relationship with a B vitamin producer. B vitamin requirements are widespread in some of the most ancient metabolisms including all six carbon fixation pathways, sulfate reduction, sulfur disproportionation, methanogenesis, acetogenesis, and photosynthesis. Understanding modern metabolic B vitamin requirements is critical for understanding the evolutionary conditions of ancient metabolisms as well as the biogeochemical cycling of critical elements such as S, C, and O. |
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