TY - JOUR

T1 - Why Flavins Are not Competitors of Chlorophyll in the Evolution of Biological Converters of Solar Energy

AU - Kritsky, Mikhail S.

AU - Telegina, Taisiya A.

AU - Vechtomova, Yulia L.

AU - Buglak, Andrey A.

PY - 2013/1

Y1 - 2013/1

N2 - Excited flavin molecules can photocatalyze reactions, leading to the accumulation of free energy in the products, and the data accumulated through biochemical experiments and by modeling prebiological processes suggest that flavins were available in the earliest stages of evolution. Furthermore, model experiments have shown that abiogenic flavin conjugated with a polyamino acid matrix, a pigment that photocatalyzes the phosphorylation of ADP to form ATP, could have been present in the prebiotic environment. Indeed, excited flavin molecules play key roles in many photoenzymes and regulatory photoreceptors, and the substantial structural differences between photoreceptor families indicate that evolution has repeatedly used flavins as chromophores for photoreceptor proteins. Some of these photoreceptors are equipped with a light-harvesting antenna, which transfers excitation energy to chemically reactive flavins in the reaction center. The sum of the available data suggests that evolution could have led to the formation of a flavin-based biological converter to convert light energy into energy in the form of ATP.

AB - Excited flavin molecules can photocatalyze reactions, leading to the accumulation of free energy in the products, and the data accumulated through biochemical experiments and by modeling prebiological processes suggest that flavins were available in the earliest stages of evolution. Furthermore, model experiments have shown that abiogenic flavin conjugated with a polyamino acid matrix, a pigment that photocatalyzes the phosphorylation of ADP to form ATP, could have been present in the prebiotic environment. Indeed, excited flavin molecules play key roles in many photoenzymes and regulatory photoreceptors, and the substantial structural differences between photoreceptor families indicate that evolution has repeatedly used flavins as chromophores for photoreceptor proteins. Some of these photoreceptors are equipped with a light-harvesting antenna, which transfers excitation energy to chemically reactive flavins in the reaction center. The sum of the available data suggests that evolution could have led to the formation of a flavin-based biological converter to convert light energy into energy in the form of ATP.

KW - Evolution

KW - flavin

KW - flavoprotein photoreceptors

KW - DNA photolyase

KW - photosynthesis

KW - model of prebiotic processes

KW - photophosphorylation

KW - ATP

KW - light-harvesting antenna

KW - BLUE-LIGHT RECEPTOR

KW - DNA PHOTOLYASE

KW - PHOTOCYCLE

KW - OXIDATION

KW - ACID

KW - MOLECULES

KW - REDUCTION

KW - OXYGEN

KW - DOMAIN

KW - PHOTOCHEMISTRY

U2 - 10.3390/ijms14010575

DO - 10.3390/ijms14010575

M3 - Обзорная статья

VL - 14

SP - 575

EP - 593

JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

SN - 1422-0067

IS - 1

ER -