Authorship：Lead author,　Corresponding author   Language：English  

DOI： 10.1038/s41550-024-02372-y

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.3390/universe9060293

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Authorship：Lead author,　Corresponding author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.3390/life13071448

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Wiley  

Abstract

α‐Hydroxy acids are prebiotic monomers that undergo dehydration synthesis to form polyester gels, which assemble into membraneless microdroplets upon aqueous rehydration. These microdroplets are proposed as protocells that can segregate and compartmentalize primitive molecules/reactions. Different primitive aqueous environments with a variety of salts could have hosted chemistries that formed polyester microdroplets. These salts could be essential cofactors of compartmentalized prebiotic reactions or even directly affect protocell structure. However, fully understanding polyester–salt interactions remains elusive, partially due to technical challenges of quantitative measurements in condensed phases. Here, spectroscopic and biophysical methods are applied to analyze salt uptake by polyester microdroplets. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is applied to measure the cation concentration within polyester microdroplets after addition of chloride salts. Combined with methods to determine the effects of salt uptake on droplet turbidity, size, surface potential and internal water distribution, it was observed that polyester microdroplets can selectively partition salt cations, leading to differential microdroplet coalescence due to ionic screening effects reducing electrostatic repulsion forces between microdroplets. Through applying existing techniques to novel analyses related to primitive compartment chemistry and biophysics, this study suggests that even minor differences in analyte uptake can lead to significant protocellular structural change.

DOI： 10.1002/smtd.202300119

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Springer Science and Business Media LLC  

Abstract

Background

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was widely used in the past. However, asbestos inhalation is associated with an aggressive type of cancer known as malignant mesothelioma (MM). After inhalation, an iron-rich coat forms around the asbestos fibres, together the coat and fibre are termed an “asbestos ferruginous body” (AFB). AFBs are the main features associated with asbestos-induced MM. Whilst several studies have investigated the external morphology of AFBs, none have characterised the internal morphology. Here, cross-sections of multiple AFBs from two smokers and two non-smokers are compared to investigate the effects of smoking on the onset and growth of AFBs. Morphological and chemical observations of AFBs were undertaken by transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and selected area diffraction.

Results

The AFBs of all patients were composed of concentric layers of 2-line or 6-line ferrihydrite, with small spherical features being observed on the outside of the AFBs and within the cross-sections. The spherical components are of a similar size to Fe-rich inclusions found within macrophages from mice injected with asbestos fibres in a previous study. As such, the spherical components composing the AFBs may result from the deposition of Fe-rich inclusions during frustrated phagocytosis. The AFBs were also variable in terms of their Fe, P and Ca abundances, with some layers recording higher Fe concentrations (dense layers), whilst others lower Fe concentrations (porous layers). Furthermore, smokers were found to have smaller and overall denser AFBs than non-smokers.

Conclusions

The AFBs of smokers and non-smokers show differences in their morphology, indicating they grew in lung environments that experienced disparate conditions. Both the asbestos fibres of smokers and non-smokers were likely subjected to frustrated phagocytosis and accreted mucopolysaccharides, resulting in Fe accumulation and AFB formation. However, smokers’ AFBs experienced a more uniform Fe-supply within the lung environment compared to non-smokers, likely due to Fe complexation from cigarette smoke, yielding denser, smaller and more Fe-rich AFBs. Moreover, the lack of any non-ferrihydrite Fe phases in the AFBs may indicate that the ferritin shell was intact, and that ROS may not be the main driver for the onset of MM.

DOI： 10.1186/s12989-023-00522-0

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Other Link： https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12989-023-00522-0/fulltext.html

Authorship：Lead author,　Corresponding author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Springer Science and Business Media LLC  

Abstract

All life on Earth contains amino acids and carbonaceous chondrite meteorites have been suggested as their source at the origin of life on Earth. While many meteoritic amino acids are considered indigenous, deciphering the extent of terrestrial contamination remains an issue. The Ryugu asteroid fragments (JAXA Hayabusa2 mission), represent the most uncontaminated primitive extraterrestrial material available. Here, the concentrations of amino acids from two particles from different touchdown sites (TD1 and TD2) are reported. The concentrations show that N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG) is the most abundant amino acid in the TD1 particle, but below detection limit in the other. The TD1 particle mineral components indicate it experienced more aqueous alteration. Furthermore, the relationships between the amino acids and the geochemistry suggest that DMG formed on the Ryugu progenitor body during aqueous alteration. The findings highlight the importance of aqueous chemistry for defining the ultimate concentrations of amino acids in primitive extraterrestrial samples.

DOI： 10.1038/s41467-023-37107-6

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Other Link： https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-37107-6

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Elsevier {BV}  

DOI： 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2022.104514

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Japan Academy  

DOI： 10.2183/pjab.98.015

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Oxford University Press ({OUP})  

ABSTRACT

Comets and asteroids have traditionally been separated categories, but main belt comets skew this view, portraying a possible intermediate stage between these two endmembers. Investigating the relationship between these bodies can improve our understanding of the formation and evolution of the Solar System and help to identify potentially interesting parent bodies from within our solar system, for future sample return missions. Furthermore, elucidating the ice-organic-silicate ratios of potential meteorite parent bodies can help to explain the observed isotopic ratios and petrography of meteorite samples. While the ice-organic-silicate ratios of particular bodies have been estimated, there has been no study undertaken which compares different types of bodies in terms of their ice-organic-silicate ratios. Therefore, this study presents a geophysical-chemical mass balance model, to estimate the ice-organic-silicate ratios of comets, main belt comets and asteroids. The results drawn from the model form a diagonal trend upon an ice-organic-silicate ternary diagram, in which comets and main belt comets plot together at generally higher ice contents, with asteroids typically plotting at lower ice contents. However, an overlap between all three body types is observed and supports the scenario in which comets, main belt comets and asteroids are genetically linked.

DOI： 10.1093/mnras/stac1068

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：American Astronomical Society  

DOI： 10.3847/PSJ/abf490

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Authorship：Lead author,　Corresponding author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117149

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1111/maps.13665

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Authorship：Lead author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1089/ast.2019.2198

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Scopus

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Authorship：Lead author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.7185/geochemlet.2010

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Scopus

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Authorship：Lead author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.7b00053

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Scopus

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1002/macp.201600142

Web of Science

Scopus

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Event date： 2018.12.12 - 2018.12.19

Presentation type：Symposium, workshop panel (nominated)  

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Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

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Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

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Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

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Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

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Author：Other 

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Author：Myself 

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