Question

Which ones are the most essential for origin of life?

• A. Enzymes
• B. Proteins
• C. Carbohydrates
• D. Nucleic acids

Answer 1

The correct option is D Nucleic acids

Enzymes are the biomolecules that speed up the biological reaction by lowering the activation energy for formation of substrate-product transition state. Enzymes are not used in biological reactions. Proteins are the polymer of amino acids which serve structural and catalytic functions in living organisms. Thus, main biological function of protein is to serve as enzyme which is also served as nucleic acids i.e., proteins and enzymes are not essential for origin of life. Carbohydrates are polymers of simple sugar that serve as structural unit of many biological structures as well as storage molecules. Nucleic acids are polymer of nucleotides that exhibit the unique ability of self-replication and self-perpetuation. Owing to their ability of self replication, nucleic acids serve as genetic material and carrier of heredity traits from one generation to next which is a prerequisite for living organisms. For example, the colloidal aggregates of organic compounds, called as coacervates and microspheres, exhibited metabolic activities such as enzymatic synthesis and hydrolysis of starch (a carbohydrate) but were not considered living forms as they lack nucleic acid. Formation of nucleic acids followed by their chance combination with proteins to form nucleoproteins marked the transition of non living coacervates into first live forms, the protocell.

Therefore, the correct answer is option D.