poly: From Soup to Cells

A friend of mine was talking with David Baltimore yesterday at the
Caltech reunion. Dr. Baltimore mentioned a problem that
is bugging him. Is what I've come up with below plausible? Is it old news?

Problem: How to get from RNA World or Autocatalytic Set to
single cells.

*= weak link

A peptide autocatalytic set (AS) forms ['cooperation']. It mutates
into several overlapping, mutant AS (mAS), with shared component subsets (SCS).
These compete with each other for subset components ['coopetition'].
(AS may or may not include RNA)

*A mutant AS (1mAS) produces a lipid as a byproduct.

The lipids form 'weak' bilayers, then liposomes. The liposomes exist
for some period, then are disrupted.

In the process of self-assembling a liposome, random subsets of
mAS components are sequestered. In particular, subsets of SCS
are protected from predation.

Also in the course of liposome self-assembly, random components are
caught up in the forming bilipid layer.

*A critical component of some mAS (2mAS) (perhaps with 2 active sites,
one a receptor, the other a catalytic agent when the receptor is bound) is caught
up in the bilayer.
Its reactants are sequestered inside the liposome.

An evolutionary advantage is now conferred on the {2mAS+1mAS} superset
that can keep some portion of some SCS sequestered for some period.

Forrest

-- 
Forrest Bishop
Manager,
Interworld Productions, LLC
Chairman,
Institute of Atomic-Scale Engineering
http://www.speakeasy.org/~forrestb