A new theoretical model for the origin of amino acid homochirality |
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| Authors: | Han DaXiong Chen WeiZhu Han Bo Zhao YuFen |
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| Affiliation: | 1.Department of Pharmacy,Medical College of Xiamen University,Xiamen,China;2.Department of Chemistry,Xiamen University,Xiamen,China |
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| Abstract: | Amino acid homochirality, as a unique behavior of life, could have originated synchronously with the genetic code. In this
paper, phosphoryl amino-acid-5′-nucleosides with P-N bond are postulated to be a chiral origin model in prebiotic molecular
evolution. The enthalpy change in the intramolecular interaction between the nucleotide base and the amino-acid side-chain
determines the stability of the particular complex, resulting in a preferred conformation associated with the chirality of
amino acids. Based on the theoretical model, our experiments and calculations show that the chiral selection of the earliest
amino acids for L-enantiomers seems to be a strict stereochemical/physicochemical determinism. As other amino acids developed
biosynthetically from the earliest amino acids, we infer that the chirality of the later amino acids was inherited from the
precursor amino acids. This idea probably goes far back in history, but it is hoped that it will be a guide for further experiments
in this area. |
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| Keywords: | genetic code phosphate origin of life chiral selection homochirality |
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