This research project is concerned with the relative stabilities and chemical interaction in hydrothermal systems of minerals and aqueous enzymes, nucleotides, nucleic acids and other biomacromolecules derived from hyperthermophilic microbes. The overall hypothesis is that classical high-temperature solution chemistry and reversible and irreversible chemical thermodynamics can be used to characterize and quantify reactions among minerals and biomacromolecules at the organic-inorganic interface in hydrothermal systems. The methods to be employed consist of thermodynamic calculations and computer experiments which will be carried out to characterize quantitatively the biochemical-mineralogic interface in hydrothermal systems. The intellectual merit of the proposed activity is inherent in the goal to improve our understanding of the chemical and thermodynamic factors responsible for stabilizing in the presence of minerals biomacromolecules and therefore life in hydrothermal systems. Because it is highly interdisciplinary in nature, the project will advance knowledge and understanding not only within the field of geochemistry, but also across the fields of biophysical chemistry, biotechnology, and related disciplines. The creative and original concepts to be explored include application of thermodynamics to quantify for the first time the relative stabilities of biomacromolecules at high temperatures and the consequences of reversible and irreversible biomolecular reactions with minerals that sustain microbial life in hydrothermal systems. The broader impacts of the proposed research include integrating research and education by advancing discovery and understanding of the chemical and thermodynamic support system for life at high temperatures while promoting teaching, training, and learning by students about the environment in which life may have originated on the Earth. In addition, the project will integrate and enhance the infrastructure for research and education in the scientific and technological communities by posting on the Web all of the thermodynamic properties and equations of state parameters generated for the species and reactions considered in the project. The potential benefits of the proposed research to society include application in biotechnology of the results of the research to develop more efficient protocols for enzymatic drug design.
