Functional Capabilities of the Earliest Peptides and the Emergence of Life

Genes

E. James Milner-White¹ 

[1] College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Glasgow University, Glasgow G128QQ, UK

关键词: catgrips;    emergence of life;    hydrothermal mound;    nests;    niches;    peptides;   

DOI  :  10.3390/genes2040671

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Considering how biological macromolecules first evolved, probably within a marine environment, it seems likely the very earliest peptides were not encoded by nucleic acids, or at least not via the genetic code as we know it. An objective of the present work is to demonstrate that sequence-independent peptides, or peptides with variable and unreliable lengths and sequences, have the potential to perform a variety of chemically useful functions such as anion and cation binding and membrane and channel formation as well as simple types of catalysis. These functions tend to be performed with the assistance of the main chain CONH atoms rather than the more variable or limited side chain atoms of the peptides presumed to exist then.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.