The Origin of Life and Evolutionary Biochemistry

The primary metabolism of protobionts was probably based on the electron transfer reactions regulated by catalysts or photo- sensitizing pigments. The action of photoreceptive pigments was inevitable in the case of electron transfer leading to light energy storage in the reaction products. The primitive tetrapyrrolic pig- ments formed abiogenically (porphin, chlorin) as well as their more complicated biogenic analogs (chlorophylls) are capable of photo- sensitizing electron transfer in syst...