Biomolecular Condensates: From Bacterial Compartments to Incubator Spaces of Emergent Chemical Systems in Matter-to-Life Transitions

At the earliest development of prebiotic chemistry, bacterial cells were primarily viewed as “bags of molecules.” This longstanding viewpoint shaped and biased early research about life's origins, setting an initial target when considering the path from prebiotic chemistry to modern life. The two fields of systems chemistry and bacterial cell biology seem like oil and water, but each brings their own perspectives and methods to consider “what is life?”. Here, we review the most recent discoveries in bacterial cell biology, focusing on biomolecular condensates to consider how they may impact our thinking of matter-to-life transitions. The presence of condensate compartments in the bacterial domain of life strengthens the hypothesis that condensates play roles in coordinating chemical systems in life's origins. Bacterial condensates have been shown to enhance enzymatic reactions, tune substrate specificity, and be responsive to environmental conditions and metabolites. Systems chemistry studies have further illuminated the unique chemical environment within condensates and strategies for logically tying chemical processes to the formation and dissolution of condensates. We consider the potential of biomolecular condensates to provide “incubator spaces” where new chemistries can develop and examine future challenges regarding the capability of condensates to yield emergent chemical systems capable of selection.