氨基酸的手性与蛋白质生物合成

生命体中行使生物学功能的重要大分子蛋白质,由其基本单位氨基酸组成.除甘氨酸外,其余19种常见氨基酸均具有手性,且均为L-构型,称为氨基酸的纯手性(homochirality,或称同手性).这个现象长久以来困扰着科学家们.本文简要综述了目前对纯手性起源的一些假说,D-氨基酸在生命体中的存在和可能的作用,以及D-氨基酸在蛋白质合成这个重要过程中的特性,包括D-氨基酸的氨酰化和在新生肽链的掺入.D-氨基酸的研究,让人们对生命有了更深入的认识,为疾病、制药等领域提供了新的思路,也为生命科学的基础研究提供了新的理论支撑和研究方向.

Homochirality and Protein Biosynthesis

Proteins, important macromolecule performers of biological function, are composed of their basic units, amino acids. All amino acids except glycine are chiral. In protein molecules, the amino acid residues are L-stereoisomers. This phenomenon is called homochirality. This review introduces the origin of homochirality, existence and function of D-amino acids, aminoacylation of D-amino acids, and incorporation into nascent peptide chain. Research in D-amino acids gives people an insight into life science, provides a new thinking for the disease, pharmaceutical and other fields, and also serves as new theoretical support and field for fundamental research.