Fatty Acid Vesicles and Coacervates as Model Prebiotic Protocells

Abstract The prebiotic organization of chemicals into compartmentalized ensembles is an essential step to understand the transition from inert molecules to living matter. Compartmentalization is indeed a central property of living systems. Fatty acids represent the simplest prebiotic amphiphiles capable of self‐assembling into membrane‐bound vesicles, and have therefore emerged as valuable molecules to create models of protocellular compartments. Here, the main experimental findings supporting this idea are reviewed, together with approaches to increase the stability of fatty acid vesicles in adverse pH, salt, or temperature conditions. Recent studies on the self‐assembly of fatty acids into membrane‐free coacervate microdroplets are then discussed, providing a promising new paradigm for prebiotic compartmentalization. Lastly, it is also argued that the unique possibility of cycling between fatty acid vesicles and coacervates paves the way to an exciting new hypothesis for the emergence of the first living protocells.