Szostak

Szostak R 1998 Synthesis of molecular sieve phosphates Molecular Sieves Science and Technology vol 1, ed H G Karge and J Weitkamp (Berlin Springer) pp 157-85... 

Szostak R 1991 Modified zeolites Stud. Surf. Sol. Catal. 58 153-99... 

Szostak R 1989 Moiecuiar Sieves, Principies of Synthesis and identification (New York Van Nostrand Reinhold)... 

R. Szostak, Molecular Sieves Principles of Synthesis and Identification, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1989. ISBN 0442280238. 

Martin-Iversen, M.T. Szostak, C. and Fibiger, H.C. 6-Hydroxydopamine lesions of the medial prefrontal eortex fail to influence intravenous selfadministration of cocaine. Psychopharmacology 88 310-314, 1986. 

Murray AW, Szostak TW 1985 Chromosome segregation in mitosis and meiosis. Annu Rev Cell Biol 1 289-315... 

Holeman LA, Robinson SL, Szostak JW, Wilson C (1998) Isolation and characterization of fluorophore-binding RNA aptamers. Fold Des 3 423 -31... 

Roberts, R.W. and Szostak, J.W. (1997) RNA-peptide fusions for the in vitro selection of peptides and proteins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 94, 12297-12302. 

Attempts have recently been made to link the RNA world with the lipid world. Two groups involved in RNA and ribozyme research joined up with an expert on membrane biophysics (Szostak et al., 2001). They developed a model for the formation of the first protocells which takes into account both the most recent experimental results on replication systems and the self-organisation processes of amphiphilic substances to give supramolecular structures. 

Szostak et al. worked on the basis of a simple cellular system which can replicate itself autonomously and which is subject to Darwinian evolution. This simple protocell consists of an RNA replicase, which replicates in a self-replicating vesicle. If this system can take up small molecules from its environment (a type of feeding ), i.e., precursors which are required for membrane construction and RNA synthesis, the protocells will grow and divide. The result should be the formation of improved replicases. Improved chances of survival are only likely if a sequence, coded by RNA, leads to better growth or replication of membrane components, e.g., by means of a ribozyme which catalyses the synthesis of amphiphilic lipids (Figs. 10.8 and 10.9). We can expect further important advances in the near future from this combination ( RNA + lipid world ). 

Fig. 10.8 The importance of the vesicle for the Darwinian evolution of a replicase. Compart-mentalisation ensures that related molecules tend to stay together. This permits superior mutant replicases (grey) to replicate more effectively than the parent (black) replicases. The evolutionary advantage spreads in the form of vesicles with superior replicase molecules, leading with a greater probability to vesicles with at least two replicase molecules (or a replicase and a matrix molecule). Vesicles with less than two replicase molecules are struck out their progeny cannot continue the RNA self-replication. Thus, the vesicles with better replicases form the growing fraction of vesicles which carry forward the replicase activity (Szostak et al., 2001)...

Fig. 10.9 Possible reaction pathway for the formation of a cell. The important precursors are an RNA replicase and a self-replicating vesicle. The combination of these two in a protocell leads to a rapid, evolutionary optimisation of the replicase. The cellular structure is completed if an RNA-coded molecular species, for example, a lipid-synthesised ribozyme, is added to the system (Szostak et al., 2001)... 

The great importance of minerals in prebiotic chemical reactions is undisputed. Interactions between mineral surfaces and organic molecules, and their influence on self-organisation processes, have been the subject of much study. New results from Szostak and co-workers show that the formation of vesicles is not limited to one type of mineral, but can involve various types of surfaces. Different minerals were studied in order to find out how particle size, particle shape, composition and charge can influence vesicle formation. Thus, for example, montmorillonite (Na and K10), kaolinite, talc, aluminium silicates, quartz, perlite, pyrite, hydrotalcite and Teflon particles were studied. Vesicle formation was catalysed best by aluminium solicate, followed by hydrotalcite, kaolinite and talcum (Hanczyc et al., 2007). 

Hanczyc MM, Szostak YW (2004) Curr Opin Chem Biol 8 660... 

Hanczyc MM, Mansy SS, Szostak YW (2007) Orig Life Evol Biosphere 37 67... 

Rushdi AL, Simoneit BRT (2001) Orig Life Evol Biosphere 31 103 Sacerdote MG, Szostak YW (2005) Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA, 102 6004 Schidlowski M (1988) Nature 333 313 Schopf JW (1993) Science 260 640... 

Hazen RM, Griffin PL, Carothers SM, Szostak JW (2007) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104 8574 suppl.l. 

Keefe, A. D., Szostak, J. W., Functional proteins from a random-sequence library, Nature 2001, 410, 715-718... 

Frackowiak E., Delpeux S., Jurewicz K., Szostak K., Cazorla-Amoros D., Beguin F. Enhanced capacitance of carbon nanotubes through chemical activation. Chem Phys Lett 2002 361 35-41. 

Delpeux S., Szostak K., Frackowiak E., Bonnamy S., Beguin F. High yield carbon nanotubes from the catalytic decomposition of acetylene on in-situ formed Co nanoparticles. JNanosci Nanotech 2002 2 481-4. 

R. Szostak, Molecular Seives, Blackie Academic, London, 1998. 

K. J. Balkus, Jr., A. Ramsaran, R. Szostak, and M. Mitchell, Proc. 12th Int. Zeolite Conf, Materials Research Society, Pittsburgh, PA, 1999, p. 1931. 

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