Polycondensation of Asparagine-comprising Dipeptides in Aqueous Media-A Simulation of Polypeptide Formation in Primordial Earth Hydrosphere

Orig Life Evol Biosph. 2017 Sep;47(3):355-369. doi: 10.1007/s11084-017-9547-0. Epub 2017 Jul 26.

Abstract

Asparagine and aspartic acid might have mutually transformed in the primordial hydrosphere of the earth, if ammonia and aspartic acid had existed in equilibrium. These amino acids seem to contribute to polypeptides, while the simple amino acids glycine and alanine easily form cyclic dipeptides and do not achieve long peptide chains. Asparagine-comprising dipeptides contribute some kinds of activation forms of dipeptides because these can polymerize faster than asparagine only. The new finding of polypeptide formation suggests a pathway of sequential polypeptides to evolve a diversity of polypeptides.

Keywords: Asparagine; Condensation; Dipeptides; Polypeptides.

MeSH terms

  • Asparagine / chemistry*
  • Dipeptides / chemistry*
  • Earth, Planet*
  • Evolution, Chemical*
  • Polymerization

Substances

  • Dipeptides
  • Asparagine