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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDAccounts of chemical research

Phosphorus Chemistry and the Origin of Life: From N-Phosphoryl Amino Acid to Protocell.

  • Jianxi Ying1
  • Yan Liu2
  • Songsen Fu1
  • Xiang Gao3
  • Yufen Zhao1,2,4
4 affiliations
  1. 1Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Qian Xuesen Collaborative Research Center of Astrochemistry and Space Life Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang315211, China.
  2. 2Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen361005, China.
  3. 3State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen361102, China.
  4. 4Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing100084, China.
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Abstract

A central question in origin-of-life research is how biological macromolecules and cellular structures arose from simple precursors under prebiotic conditions. This review focuses on the chemical evolution model of N-phosphoryl amino acids (NPAAs) and their multifaceted roles in this process. Featuring high-energy P-N bonds, NPAAs enable intramolecular activation via pentacoordinate phosphorus intermediates, facilitating the formation of homochiral peptides and nucleotides under mild aqueous conditions. Moreover, N-amino acid-nucleotide conjugates (N-aa-NMPs) drive peptide formation with chiral selection between amino acids and nucleosides, where the peptide yield for each amino acid is modulated by specific nucleosides, thereby laying a foundation for a proto-genetic code. Additionally, amphiphilic NPAA derivatives spontaneously self-assemble into vesicles and selectively condense peptides at membrane interfaces, whereas the in situ generation of N-fatty acyl amino acids further enhances membrane stability. Collectively, these findings support a phosphorus-centered model for the integrated origin of nucleic acids, proteins, and membranes.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ying2026phosphorus,
  title = {{Phosphorus Chemistry and the Origin of Life: From N-Phosphoryl Amino Acid to Protocell.}},
  author = {Jianxi Ying and Yan Liu and Songsen Fu and Xiang Gao and Yufen Zhao},
  journal = {Accounts of chemical research},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1021/acs.accounts.6c00206},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42915055},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Phosphorus Chemistry and the Origin of Life: From N-Phosphoryl Amino Acid to Protocell.
AU  - Jianxi Ying
AU  - Yan Liu
AU  - Songsen Fu
AU  - Xiang Gao
AU  - Yufen Zhao
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/01
JO  - Accounts of chemical research
DO  - 10.1021/acs.accounts.6c00206
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42915055
AB  - A central question in origin-of-life research is how biological macromolecules and cellular structures arose from simple precursors under prebiotic conditions. This review focuses on the chemical evolution model of N-phosphoryl amino acids (NPAAs) and their multifaceted roles in this process. Featuring high-energy P-N bonds, NPAAs enable intramolecular activation via pentacoordinate phosphorus intermediates, facilitating the formation of homochiral peptides and nucleotides under mild aqueous conditions. Moreover, N-amino acid-nucleotide conjugates (N-aa-NMPs) drive peptide formation with chiral selection between amino acids and nucleosides, where the peptide yield for each amino acid is modulated by specific nucleosides, thereby laying a foundation for a proto-genetic code. Additionally, amphiphilic NPAA derivatives spontaneously self-assemble into vesicles and selectively condense peptides at membrane interfaces, whereas the in situ generation of N-fatty acyl amino acids further enhances membrane stability. Collectively, these findings support a phosphorus-centered model for the integrated origin of nucleic acids, proteins, and membranes.
SN  - 0001-4842
SN  - 1520-4898
ER  -