Horizontal transfer between loose compartments stabilizes replication of fragmented ribozymes

The emergence of replicases that can replicate themselves is a central issue in the origin of life. Recent experiments suggest that such replicases can be realized if an RNA polymerase ribozyme is divided into fragments short enough to be replicable by the ribozyme and if these fragments self-assemble into a functional ribozyme. However, the continued self-replication of such replicases requires that the production of every essential fragment be balanced and sustained. Here, we use mathematical modeling to investigate whether and under what conditions fragmented replicases achieve continued self-replication. We first show that under a simple batch condition, the replicases fail to display continued self-replication owing to positive feedback inherent in these replicases. This positive feedback inevitably biases replication toward a subset of fragments, so that the replicases eventually fail to sustain the production of all essential fragments. We then show that this inherent instability can be resolved by small rates of random content exchange between loose compartments (i.e., horizontal transfer). In this case, the balanced production of all fragments is achieved through negative frequency-dependent selection operating in the population dynamics of compartments. This selection mechanism arises from an interaction mediated by horizontal transfer between intracellular and intercellular symmetry breaking. The horizontal transfer also ensures the presence of all essential fragments in each compartment, sustaining self-replication. Taken together, our results underline compartmentalization and horizontal transfer in the origin of the first self-replicating replicases.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, and supplemental materia

Group Chase and Escape with Conversion from Targets to Chasers

We are studying the effect of converting caught targets into new chasers in the context of the recently proposed `group chase and escape' problem. Numerical simulations have shown that this conversion can substantially reduce the lifetimes of the targets when a large number of them are initially present. At the same time, it also leads to a non-monotonic dependence on the initial number of targets, resulting in the existence of a maximum lifetime. As a counter effect for this conversion, we further introduce self-multiplying abilities to the targets. We found that the longest lifetime exists when suitable combination of these two effects is created.Comment: submitted for publicatio

Group Chase and Escape

We describe here a new concept of one group chasing another, called "group chase and escape", by presenting a simple model. We will show that even a simple model can demonstrate rather rich and complex behavior. In particular, there are cases in which an optimal number of chasers exists for a given number of escapees (or targets) to minimize the cost of catching all targets. We have also found an indication of self-organized spatial structures formed by both groups.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, accepted and to appear in New Journal of Physic

Thermodynamic and Stoichiometric Laws Ruling the Fates of Growing Systems

We delve into growing open chemical reaction systems (CRSs) characterized by autocatalytic reactions within a variable volume, which changes in response to these reactions. Understanding the thermodynamics of such systems is crucial for comprehending biological cells and constructing protocells, as it sheds light on the physical conditions necessary for their self-replication. Building on our recent work, where we developed a thermodynamic theory for growing CRSs featuring basic autocatalytic motifs with regular stoichiometric matrices, we now expand this theory to include scenarios where the stoichiometric matrix has a nontrivial left kernel space. This extension introduces conservation laws, which limit the variations in chemical species due to reactions, thereby confining the system's possible states to those compatible with its initial conditions. By considering both thermodynamic and stoichiometric constraints, we clarify the environmental and initial conditions that dictate the CRSs' fate-whether they grow, shrink, or reach equilibrium. We also find that the conserved quantities significantly influence the equilibrium state achieved by a growing CRS. These results are derived independently of specific thermodynamic potentials or reaction kinetics, therefore underscoring the fundamental impact of conservation laws on the growth of the system.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figure

The Proposal of Developmental Stage-Specific Achievement Indicators for Self-Care and Peer Support in Food Allergy Management

　食物アレルギーのある子が健康で安全に過ごすためには，本人が必要なセルフケアを身につけることに加え，周囲の子が食物アレルギーについて理解し，適切に支援できる環境づくりが重要である。そのため，食物アレルギーに関する指導は，食物アレルギーのある子だけでなく，ない子に対しても発達段階に合わせて実施することが求められる。 　そこで本研究は，各発達段階で子供に必要なセルフケアとピアサポートのスキルを包括的かつ具体的に整理し，指導の一助となる「食物アレルギーのセルフケアとピアサポートに関する発達段階別到達指標」を提案する。指標の作成時には，教員が疾患の特徴や子供の実態を踏まえて指導するため，学校生活における具体的なスキルとなるように表現を工夫した

Lack of variations in the salamander chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, at its alleged origin: Updating its Japanese distribution with new evidence

The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans [Bsal] is causing declines in the amphibian populations. After a decade of mapping the pathogen in Europe, where it is causing dramatic outbreaks, and North America, where its arrival would affect to the salamander’s biodiversity hotspot, little is known about its current status in Asia, from presumably is native. Japan has several species considered as potential carriers, but no regulation is implemented against Bsal spreading. Previous Bsal known presence detected various cases on the Okinawa Island, southwestern Japan. Previous studies on its sister species, B. dendrobatidis presented a high genomic variation in this area and particularly on Cynops ensicauda. Here, we have done the largest monitoring to date in Japan on the Cynops genus, focusing on Okinawa Island and updating its distribution and providing more information to unravel the still unknown origin of Bsal. Interestingly, we have provided revealing facts about different detectability depending on the used molecular techniques and changes in its Japanese distribution. All in all, the Bsal presence in Japan, together with its low variability in the sequenced amplicons, and the lack of apparent mortalities, may indicate that this part of Asia has a high diversity of chytrids.http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_650