Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Varma SJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5969571 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Varma Sreejith J SJ Muchowska Kamila B KB Chatelain Paul P Moran Joseph J
Nature ecology & evolution 20180423 6
Autotrophic theories for the origin of life propose that CO<sub>2</sub> was the carbon source for primordial biosynthesis. Among the six known CO<sub>2</sub> fixation pathways in nature, the acetyl-CoA (AcCoA; or Wood-Ljungdahl) pathway is the most ancient, and relies on transition metals for catalysis. Modern microbes that use the AcCoA pathway typically fix CO<sub>2</sub> with electrons from H<sub>2</sub>, which requires complex flavin-based electron bifurcation. This presents a paradox: how c ...[more]