Organizer: Günter von Kiedrowski

PURPOSE

At the beginning of the 21th century, chemistry is facing a formidable challenge. Inspite of the wealth of insight derived from existing forms of life biology by itself has not been able so far to answer the question concerning the origin of its subject. Finding the roots of biology in chemical systems calls for an integrated endeavour in which chemistry interfaces with molecular biology, theoretical biology and complex systems research. COST Chemistry Action D27 was founded in early 2002; its main objective was seen in the development of the chemistry connected with the origin of life and early evolution of life on Earth, while giving special emphasis on self-replicating systems, prebiotic synthesis of nucleic acids and polypeptides, as well as simple protocells as early models of biological cells. In the course of the Action six European workgroups were established who will report on their activities on the meeting. These reports will be embedded into a framework of keynote and invited lectures from internationally leading scientists whose work and vision is important for the future development of the Action.

PROGRAM

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMPER 28

09:00 – 09:15    Opening of the conference by
Ignatio Musu, Dean of Venice International University, and
Günter von Kiedrowski, chairman of COST D27.

Session I:    “Genetic biomolecules and their possible ancestors”
chaired by Peter Strazewski, Lyon

09:15 – 10:15    Opening keynote lecture Albert Eschenmoser, Zürich & La Jolla:
Searching for Potentially Primordial Informational Oligomer Systems
10:15 – 10:45    Marie-Christine Maurel, Paris, coordinator of working group  D27/005/03:  Inside the RNA world : The case of temperature and pressure
10:45 – 11:15    Coffee break
11:15 – 11:45    John Sutherland, Manchester, member of working group D27/005/03:
Potentially Prebiotic Formation and Reactions of Activated Nucleotides
11:45 – 12:15    Michael Göbel, Frankfurt, member of working group D27/005/03:
Non-Enzymatic Oligomerization of Ribonucleotides: Prospects and Limitations
12:15 – 13:00    Invited lecture in cooperation with the European Center of Living Technology/ECLT, Venice Peter E. Nielsen, Kopenhagen:
Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA). A Psedopeptide with Sequence Information Relevance for the discussion of Origin of Life?
13:00 – 15:00    Lunch

Session II:    “Between RNA and Astrobiology”
chaired by Irene Poli, ECLT, Venice

15:00 – 15:45    Invited lecture
Christof Biebricher, Göttingen:Template-instructed, non-enzymic synthesis of RNA in frozen sea water    
15:45 – 16:05    Sabine Müller, Bochum:  Allosteric regulation of ribozyme activity in response to surrounding conditions: a redox-sensitive riboswitch
16:05 – 16:25    Benoit Prieur, Paris:  The prebiotic role of boric acid
16:25 – 17:00    Coffee break
17:00 – 17:20    Hans Ziock, Los Alamos:
17:20 – 17:40    Arvydas Tamulis, Vilnius:Variety of Self-Replicating Complex Living Systems Based on Quantum Information
17:40 – 18:00    Zbig Zagorsky, Wroclaw: Experimental simulation of inactivation of spores, caused by ionizing radiation in outer space

18:00 – 19:30    POSTER SESSION (with Spritz and ...)
chaired by Günter von Kiedrowski, Bochum
Karin Achilles, Bochum
Vladik Avetisov, Moscow
Grant Bare, Saskatchewan
Laurent Boiteau, Montpellier
Ran Eliash, Rehovot
Lars Eckardt, Bochum
Enzo Gallori, Florence
Irene Hartl, Darmstadt
Nils Hellwig, Bochum
Kepa Ruiz Mirazo,  Bilbao
Sven Mönninghoff, Bochum
Marjeta Sentjurc, Ljubljana
Insa Stahl, Bochum
Saša Svetina, Ljubljana
Olga Taran,  Mexico City
Taro Toyota, Tokyo
Jan Zimmermann, Bochum

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Session III: “The signature of life: Chirality”
chaired by Vladik Avetisov, Moscow

09:00 – 10:00    Keynote lecture in cooperation with ECLT, Venice
Kenso Soai, Tokyo: Asymmetric Autocatalysis with Amplification of Chirality
10:00 – 10:45    Meir Lahav, Rehovot, coordinator of working group D27/004/02:
“Symmetry Breaking” by Self-Assembly and Amplification of Chirality
10:45 – 11:15    Coffee break
11:15 – 12:00    Ben Feringa, Groningen, member of working group D27/004/02:
Control and Amplification of Molecular and Supramolecular Chirality
12:00 – 12:45    Invited lecture in cooperation with ECLT, Venice
Donna Blackmond, London:  Kinetic and Mechanistic Studies of Autocatalytic and  
Autoinductive Reactions        
13:00 – 15:00    Lunch

Session IV: “Self-reproduction of protocells”
chaired by Eors Szathmary, Budapest

15:00 – 16:00    Keynote lecture in cooperation with ECLT, Venice
Tadashi Sugawara, Tokyo: Construction of Robustly Self-Reproducing Giant   
Vesicles
16:00 – 16:30    Pier-Luigi Luisi, Rome, coordinator of working group D27/007/03:
Never-born proteins
17:00 – 17:30    Coffee Break
16:30 – 17:00    Pasquale Stano/Pier-Luigi Luisi, Rome, working group  
D27/007/03: Towards self-reproducing semi-synthetic minimal cells
17:30 – 18:00    Doron Lancet, Rehovot, working group D27/007/03:
Self-reproducing lipid protocells: from molecular networks to oligomer takeover
18:00 – 18:45    Invited lecture in cooperation with the ECLT, Venice
John S. McCaskill, Bochum:Microsystems Chemistry: theory and experiment   
towards evolving programmable artificial cells

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

Session V: “Vesicular models of early cells”
chaired by Mark Bedeau, ECLT Venice
09:00 – 10:00    Keynote lecture: Antonio Lazcano, Mexico City:
On the origin and early evolution of membranes: from the (prebiotic) fat of the land  
to the biosynthesis of lipids
10:00 – 10:30    Vesna Nöthig-Laslo, Zagreb, coordinator of  working group     
D27/006/03: Preparation and properties of functionalized vesicles as protocell  
models
10:30 – 11:00    Coffee break
11:00 – 11:30    Constantinos Paleos, Athens, working group D27/006/03:
Molecular Recognition of Liposomes: Multicompartment Systems Formation and  
Transport Phenomena
11:30 – 12:00    Peter Walde, Zürich, working group D27/006/03:
Vesicular compartments from potentially prebiotic amphiphiles
12:00 – 12:20    Helmut Zepik, Zürich, working group D27/006/03:
Oligomerization of thioglutamic acid: Encapsulated reactions and lipid catalysis
12:20 – 12:40    Invited lecture in cooperation with ELCT, Venice
Martin Hanczyc, Venice: Formation and replication of protocellular      
compartments

Session VI: “Prebiotic models of metabolic pathways”
chaired by Martin Hanczyc, Venice

15:00 – 16:00    Keynote lecture Sandra Pizzarello, Tempe:Chembiogenesis: a  
meteoritic perspective
16:00 – 16:30    Laurent Boiteau, Montpellier, overview of working group    
D27/001/02:Dynamic coevolution of peptides and chemical energetics, a gate towards    
the emergence of homochirality and nucleotides    
16:30 – 17:00    Coffee break
17:00 – 17:20    Hans Kricheldorf, Hamburg, working group D27/001/02:
Polypeptides from alpha-Amino Acid N-Carboxyanhydrides    
17:20 – 17:40    Alastair L. Parkes, Manchester, working group D27/001/02:
Expeditious Potentially Prebiotic Aminoacylation of Nucleotides
17:40 – 18:00    Tom Lenaerts, Brussels, working group D27/001/02:
Coevolving of network topology and molecular concentrations, in silico simulations   
of the emergence of homochirality and chemical evolution
18:00 – 18:30    Jean Claude Micheau, Toulouse, working group D27/001/02:
A kinetic understanding of the mirror-symmetry breaking occurring in the Soai
reaction

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1

Session VII: “Theory: Evolution & Catalytic Networks”
chaired by Norman Packard, Venice
09:00 – 10:00    Keynote lecture in cooperation with ECLT, Venice
Peter Schuster, Vienna:
Some implications of the RNA model for a prebiotic world
10:00 – 10:30    Peter F. Stadler, Leipzig, organisator of working group    
D27/003/02:
10:30 – 11:00    Coffee break
11:00 – 11:30    Mauro Santos, Barcelona, working group D27/003/02:
The Path towards “Riborgis eigensis” (The Last Ribo-organism before LUCA)
11:30 – 12:00    Eörs Szathmáry, Budapest, Action vice chairman, working group    
D27/003/02:
12:00 – 12:30    Peter Strazewski, Lyon:
12:30 – 12:50    Emergency slot 2
13:00 – 15:00    Lunch

Session VIII: “Experimental: Systems & Synthesis”
chaired by Peter Nielsen, Copenhagen
15:00 – 16:00    Keynote lecture in cooperation with ECLT, Venice
Reza Ghadiri, La Jolla:
Toward Synthetic Biology: Design and Study of Complex Peptide Networks
16:00 – 16:30    Invited COST Inter-Action lecture
Dieter Schinzer, Magdeburg, co-rapporteur of COST D27:
Synthetic Routes towards Epothilones and Sorangicins
16:30 – 17:00    Coffee break
17:00 – 17:30    Günter von Kiedrowski, Bochum, chairman:
Systems Chemistry – A Perspective
17:30 – 18:30    General discussion moderated by Günter von Kiedrowski, Eörs Szathmáry, Peter Strazewski