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Peer-reviewedCC BYACS earth & space chemistry

Environmental Stability of Alkyl Phosphate- and Sulfate-Containing Membranes as Early Cell Models.

  • Christelle Ekosso1
  • Hao Liu2
  • Avery Glagovich1
  • Adam Rogers1
  • Lila N Strober3
  • Joshua Schrier2
  • Sarah Maurer1
  1. 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Central Connecticut State University, 1615 Stanley Street, New Britain, Connecticut 06050, United States.
  2. 2Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Fordham University, 441 East Fordham Road, The Bronx, New York 10458, United States.
  3. 3Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, 419 Boston Ave, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States.
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Abstract

The ability of simple amphiphiles to assemble into stable membranes is central to understanding how protocells may have formed on early Earth. In this work, we examine how small structural differences, specifically hydrocarbon chain length and headgroup identity, influence membrane formation, stability, and permeability in mixed amphiphile systems exposed to diverse conditions to understand the role of the environment in protocell evolution. Using automated sample preparation and confocal microscopy, we characterized eight compositions containing decyl sulfate (DS), dodecyl sulfate (DDS), or dodecyl phosphate (DDP) across a range of pH values in ultrapure water, sea salt, or sea salt mixed with a complex prebiotic organic solution. Longer-chain and phosphate-containing amphiphiles formed more vesicles, particularly at low pH and high ionic strength. DS exhibited consistently low and environment-insensitive critical vesicle concentrations (CVCs), whereas DDP displayed the highest sensitivity to alkaline conditions. DDP-containing vesicles were the least permeable, highlighting the lipid packing influence of the phosphate headgroup. Together, these findings show that small modifications in amphiphile composition strongly affect membrane properties across early Earth-like environments, demonstrating the role of anionic surfactants in protocell emergence.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ekosso2026environmental,
  title = {{Environmental Stability of Alkyl Phosphate- and Sulfate-Containing Membranes as Early Cell Models.}},
  author = {Christelle Ekosso and Hao Liu and Avery Glagovich and Adam Rogers and Lila N Strober and Joshua Schrier and Sarah Maurer},
  journal = {ACS earth \& space chemistry},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1021/acsearthspacechem.6c00171},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899148},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Environmental Stability of Alkyl Phosphate- and Sulfate-Containing Membranes as Early Cell Models.
AU  - Christelle Ekosso
AU  - Hao Liu
AU  - Avery Glagovich
AU  - Adam Rogers
AU  - Lila N Strober
AU  - Joshua Schrier
AU  - Sarah Maurer
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/24
JO  - ACS earth & space chemistry
DO  - 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.6c00171
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899148
AB  - The ability of simple amphiphiles to assemble into stable membranes is central to understanding how protocells may have formed on early Earth. In this work, we examine how small structural differences, specifically hydrocarbon chain length and headgroup identity, influence membrane formation, stability, and permeability in mixed amphiphile systems exposed to diverse conditions to understand the role of the environment in protocell evolution. Using automated sample preparation and confocal microscopy, we characterized eight compositions containing decyl sulfate (DS), dodecyl sulfate (DDS), or dodecyl phosphate (DDP) across a range of pH values in ultrapure water, sea salt, or sea salt mixed with a complex prebiotic organic solution. Longer-chain and phosphate-containing amphiphiles formed more vesicles, particularly at low pH and high ionic strength. DS exhibited consistently low and environment-insensitive critical vesicle concentrations (CVCs), whereas DDP displayed the highest sensitivity to alkaline conditions. DDP-containing vesicles were the least permeable, highlighting the lipid packing influence of the phosphate headgroup. Together, these findings show that small modifications in amphiphile composition strongly affect membrane properties across early Earth-like environments, demonstrating the role of anionic surfactants in protocell emergence.
SN  - 2472-3452
ER  -