Protocell’s survival and fitness under prebiotic radiations are elusive. Here, the authors present a radioresistant protocell model based on the assembly of two types of coacervate droplets, formed through interactions of inorganic polyphosphate with manganese and cationic tripeptide, respectively, and show that nonenzymatic Mn antioxidants are essential for its resistance to radiation.
- Shang Dai
- Zhenming Xie
- Bing Tian
