The membranes of modern cells are made of phospholipids, which are formidable barriers to the uptake of polar and charged molecules, a challenge to our understanding of the origins of cellular life. Membranes made of simple amphiphiles, such as fatty acids, allow the passage of charged molecules (such as nucleotides), while retaining longer genetic polymers made from them inside such protocells. Primitive cells could thus have acquired complex nutrients from their environment in the absence of any transport machinery.
- Sheref S. Mansy
- Jason P. Schrum
- Jack W. Szostak
