{"474151":{"#nid":"474151","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Looking Back 3.8 Billion Years into the Root of the \u201cTree of Life\u201d","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENASA-funded researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are tapping information found in the cells of all life on Earth, and using it to trace life\u2019s evolution. They have learned that life is a master stenographer \u2013 writing, rewriting and recording its history in elaborate biological structures.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome of the keys to unlocking the origin of life lie encrypted in the ribosome, life\u2019s oldest and most universal assembly of molecules. Today\u2019s ribosome converts genetic information (RNA) into proteins that carry out various functions in an organism. But the ribosome itself has changed over time. Its history shows how simple molecules joined forces to invent biology, and its current structure records ancient biological processes that occurred at the root of the Tree of Life, some 3.8 billion years ago.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy examining variations in the ribosomal RNA contained in modern cells, scientists can visualize the timeline of life far back in history, elucidating molecular structures, reactions and events near the biochemical origins of life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBiology is a great keeper of records,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/Williams\/Loren\u0022\u003ELoren Williams\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E, and principal investigator for the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/astrobiology.nasa.gov\/\u0022\u003ENASA Astrobiology Institute\u2019s\u003C\/a\u003E Georgia Tech Center for Ribosome Adaptation and Evolution from 2009-2014. \u201cWe are figuring out how to read some of the oldest records in biology to understand pre-biological processes, the origin of life, and the evolution of life on Earth.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study was reported November 30 in the Early Edition of the journal \u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELike rings in the trunk of a tree, the ribosome contains components that functioned early on in its history. The center of the trunk records the tree\u2019s youth, and successive rings represent each year of the tree\u2019s life, with the outermost layer recording the present. Just as the core of a tree\u2019s trunk remains unchanged over time, all modern ribosomes contain a common core dating back 3.8 billion years. This common core is the same in all living organisms, including humans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe ribosome recorded its history,\u201d said Williams. \u201cIt accreted and got bigger and bigger over time. But the older parts were continually frozen after they accreted, just like the rings of a tree. As long as that tree lives, the inner rings will not change. The very core of the ribosome is older than biology, produced by evolutionary processes that we still don\u2019t understand very well.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile exploiting this record-keeping ability of the ribosome reveals how biology has changed over time, it can also point to the environmental conditions on Earth in which that biology evolved, and help inform our search for life elsewhere in the Universe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis work enables us to look back in time past the root of the tree of life \u2013 the ancestor of all modern cells \u2013 to a time when proteins and nucleic acids had not yet become the basis for all biochemistry,\u201d said Carl Pilcher, interim director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. \u201cIt helps us understand some of the earliest stages in the development of life on Earth, and can guide our search for extraterrestrial environments where life may have developed.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy rewinding, reverse engineering, and replaying this ancient ribosomal tape, researchers are uncovering the secrets of creation and are answering foundational, existential questions about our place in the Universe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy studying more additions to the ribosome, the research team \u2013 with key contributions by Georgia Tech Research Scientist Anton Petrov \u2013 found \u201cmolecular fingerprints\u201d that show where insertions were made, allowing them to discern the rules by which it grew. Using a technique they call the Structural Comparative Method, the researchers were able to model the ribosome\u2019s development in great detail.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBy taking ribosomes from a number of species \u2013 humans, yeast, various bacteria and archaea \u2013 and looking at the outer portions that are variable, we saw that there were very specific rules governing how they change,\u201d said Williams. \u201cWe took those rules and applied them to the common core, which allowed us to see all the way back to the first pieces of RNA.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome clues along the way helped. For instance, though RNA is now responsible for creating proteins, the very earliest life had no proteins. By looking for regions of the ribosome that contain no proteins, the researchers could determine that those elements existed before the advent of proteins. \u201cOnce the ribosome gained a certain capability, that changed its nature,\u201d Williams said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the ribosomal core is the same across species, what\u2019s added on top differs. Humans have the largest ribosome, encompassing some 7,000 nucleotides representing dramatic growth from the hundred or so base pairs at the beginning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat we\u2019re talking about is going from short oligomers, short pieces of RNA, to the biology we see today,\u201d said Williams. \u201cThe increase in size and complexity is mind-boggling.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers obtained their ribosomes from structure and sequence databases that have been produced to help scientists identify new species. Ribosomes can be crystallized, which reveals their three dimensional structures.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond understanding how evolution played out over time, this knowledge of the ribosome\u2019s development could have more practical modern-day health applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe ribosome is one of the primary target for antibiotics, so understanding its architecture and consistency throughout biology could be of great benefit,\u201d said Williams. \u201cBy studying the ribosome, we can start thinking about biology in a different way. We can see the symbiotic relationship between RNA and proteins.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a next step, Williams and colleagues are now using experiments to verify what their model shows.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have a coherent and consistent model that accounts for all the data we have going all the way back to a form of biology that is very primitive compared to what we have now,\u201d Williams explained. \u201cWe plan to continue testing the predictions of the model.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to those already named, the research included Burak Gulen, Ashlyn Norris, Chad Bernier, Nicholas Kovacs, Kathryn Lanier, Stephen Harvey, Roger Wartell and Nicholas Hud from Georgia Tech, and George Fox from the University of Houston.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was funded in part by the NASA Astrobiology Institute under grant NNA09DA78A. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NASA.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFounded in 1998, the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) is a partnership between NASA, 12 U.S. research teams, and 14 international consortia. NAI\u2019s goals are to promote, conduct, and lead interdisciplinary astrobiology research, train a new generation of astrobiology researchers, and share the excitement of astrobiology with learners of all ages. The NAI is part of NASA\u2019s Astrobiology Program which supports research into the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the Universe. http:\/\/astrobiology.nasa.gov\/\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E177 North Avenue\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia 30332-0181\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia relations Contacts:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech \u2013 John Toon (404-894-6986) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003ENASA Astrobiology Institute -- Daniella Scalice, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENASA-funded researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are tapping information found in the cells of all life on Earth, and using it to trace life\u2019s evolution. They have learned that life is a master stenographer \u2013 writing, rewriting and recording its history in elaborate biological structures.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers are tapping information found in the cells of all life on Earth, and using it to trace life\u2019s evolution."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2015-11-30 15:37:09","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:08","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-11-30T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2015-11-30T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"474091":{"id":"474091","type":"image","title":"Ribosome grew like a tree","body":null,"created":"1449257202","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:26:42","changed":"1475895225","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:45","alt":"Ribosome grew like a tree","file":{"fid":"99188","name":"ribosome-history6-horizontal.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ribosome-history6-horizontal_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ribosome-history6-horizontal_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1642261,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ribosome-history6-horizontal_1.jpg?itok=eQYnIPhQ"}},"474111":{"id":"474111","type":"image","title":"Ribosome grew like a tree2","body":null,"created":"1449257202","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:26:42","changed":"1475895225","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:45","alt":"Ribosome grew like a tree2","file":{"fid":"99189","name":"ribosome-history6-horizontal_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ribosome-history6-horizontal_0_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ribosome-history6-horizontal_0_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1642261,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ribosome-history6-horizontal_0_0.jpg?itok=riUs6OO7"}},"474121":{"id":"474121","type":"image","title":"Ribosome grew like a tree3","body":null,"created":"1449257202","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:26:42","changed":"1475895225","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:45","alt":"Ribosome grew like a tree3","file":{"fid":"99190","name":"ribosome-history6.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ribosome-history6_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ribosome-history6_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2121571,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ribosome-history6_0.jpg?itok=y-CkuTav"}},"474131":{"id":"474131","type":"image","title":"Ribosome grew by accretion","body":null,"created":"1449257202","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:26:42","changed":"1475895225","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:45","alt":"Ribosome grew by accretion","file":{"fid":"99191","name":"ribodoll.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ribodoll_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ribodoll_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":89046,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ribodoll_0.jpg?itok=gjJnx_A0"}}},"media_ids":["474091","474111","474121","474131"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"722","name":"Astrobiology"},{"id":"3028","name":"evolution"},{"id":"10720","name":"Loren Williams"},{"id":"408","name":"NASA"},{"id":"6730","name":"ribosome"},{"id":"984","name":"RNA"},{"id":"149151","name":"tree of life"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}