An Optical Probe for Real-Time Monitoring of Self-Replicator Emergence and Distinguishing between Replicators

08 November 2021, Version 1
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

Self-replicating systems play an important role in research on the synthesis and origin of life. Monitoring of these systems has mostly relied on techniques such as NMR or chromatography, which are limited in throughput and demanding when monitoring replication in real time. To circumvent these problems, we now developed a pattern-generating fluorescent molecular probe (an ID-probe) capable of discriminating replicators of different chemical composition and monitoring the process of replicator formation in real time, giving distinct signatures for starting materials, intermediates and final products. Optical monitoring of replicators dramatically reduces the analysis time and sample quantities compared to most currently used methods and opens the door for future high-throughput experimentation in protocell environments.

Keywords

Systems chemistry
Self-replication
Fluorescent probes
Analytical chemistry

Supplementary materials

Title
Description
Actions
Title
Supporting information
Description
Supporting information
Actions

Comments

Comments are not moderated before they are posted, but they can be removed by the site moderators if they are found to be in contravention of our Commenting Policy [opens in a new tab] - please read this policy before you post. Comments should be used for scholarly discussion of the content in question. You can find more information about how to use the commenting feature here [opens in a new tab] .
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy [opens in a new tab] and Terms of Service [opens in a new tab] apply.