2026-02-24 九州大学
図1. 高圧ねじり(HPT)法による隕石衝突模擬実験の概念図:彗星や隕石などの小天体衝突が初期地球にもたらす高圧・高せん断の極限環境を、HPT装置で再現し、RNAの構成単位となるヌクレオチド(AMP、UMP、GMP、CMP)の化学反応と安定性を調査する。本手法により、天文イベントが前生物化学、特に生命の起源に不可欠な分子であるRNAの形成にどのような影響を与えたかを解明する。
<関連情報>
- https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/ja/researches/view/1423
- https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/f/64937/26_0224_01.pdf
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15311074251412318
高圧ねじり誘起アデノシン一リン酸の変換:天体衝突によるRNAのプレバイオティック化学への洞察 High-Pressure Torsion-Induced Transformation of Adenosine Monophosphate: Insights into Prebiotic Chemistry of RNA by Astronomical Impacts
Kaveh Edalati, Jacqueline Hidalgo-Jiménez, and Thanh Tam Nguyen
Astrobiology Published:January 10, 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/15311074251412318
Abstract
The origin of life is yet a compelling scientific mystery that has sometimes been attributed to high-pressure impacts by small solar system bodies such as comets, meteoroids, asteroids, and transitional objects. High-pressure torsion (HPT) is an innovative method with which to simulate the extreme conditions of astronomical impacts and offers insights relevant to prebiotic chemistry. In the present study, we investigated the polymerization and stability of adenosine monophosphate (AMP), a key precursor to ribonucleic acid (RNA), in dry and hydrated conditions (10 wt% water) under 6 GPa at ambient and boiling water temperatures. Comprehensive analyses with the use of X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electron microscopy, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry revealed no evidence of polymerization, while AMP partly transformed to other organic compounds such as nucleobase-derived fragments of adenine, phosphoribose fragments, dehydrated adenosine, protonated adenosine, and oxidized adenosine. The torque measurements during HPT further highlighted the mechanical behavior of AMP under extreme conditions. These findings suggest that, while HPT under the conditions tested does not facilitate polymerization, the formation of various compounds from AMP confirms the significance of astronomical impacts on the prebiotic chemistry of RNA on early Earth. Key Words: Ribonucleic acid (RNA)—Origin of life—Phase transformations—Chemical reactions—Small solar system bodies. Astrobiology 26, 1–9.
