A plausible model correlates prebiotic peptide synthesis with the primordial genetic code

Jianxi Ying; Songsen Fu; Xin Li; Liubin Feng; Pengxiang Xu; Yan Liu; Xiang Gao; Yufen Zhao

doi:10.1039/c8cc04767g

A plausible model correlates prebiotic peptide synthesis with the primordial genetic code

Chem Commun (Camb). 2018 Aug 11;54(62):8598-8601. doi: 10.1039/c8cc04767g. Epub 2018 Jul 17.

Authors

Jianxi Ying¹, Songsen Fu², Xin Li², Liubin Feng², Pengxiang Xu², Yan Liu², Xiang Gao³, Yufen Zhao⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province and High-Field NMR Center, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China. zhaoyufen@nbu.edu.cn and Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, Zhejiang, China.
² Department of Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province and High-Field NMR Center, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China. zhaoyufen@nbu.edu.cn.
³ School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China.
⁴ Department of Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province and High-Field NMR Center, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China. zhaoyufen@nbu.edu.cn and Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, Zhejiang, China and Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.

PMID: 30014068
DOI: 10.1039/c8cc04767g

Abstract

Aminoacyladenylates (5'-aa-AMPs) are key intermediates in peptide synthesis. Here we report analogs of 5'-aa-AMPs, namely nucleotide amidates (aa-N-NMPs), obtained under Hadean conditions. Significantly, dipeptides were detected from the above reactions and their yields varied with different nucleosides through the formation of different aa-N-NMPs. This model provides both prebiotic peptides and the primordial version of the genetic code through reactions that occurred under potentially prebiotic conditions.

MeSH terms

Adenosine Monophosphate / analogs & derivatives
Adenosine Monophosphate / chemistry
Adenosine Monophosphate / metabolism
Genetic Code*
Models, Molecular
Molecular Conformation
Peptide Biosynthesis*
Peptides / chemistry
Peptides / genetics*
Peptides / metabolism*
Prebiotics

Substances

Peptides
Prebiotics
Adenosine Monophosphate