The Role of Self-Assembled Monolayers of the Purine and Pyrimidine Bases in the Emergence of Life |
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Authors: | Sowerby Stephen J Heckl Wolfgang M |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand;(2) Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, Institüt für Kristallographie, Theresienstr. 41, 80333 München, Germany |
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Abstract: | The experimental evidence for the spontaneous formation and structure determination of two-dimensional monolayers of the purine and pyrimidine bases is examined. The plausibility of such structures forming spontaneously at the solid-liquid interface following their prebiotic synthesis suggests a functional role for them in the emergence of life. It is proposed that prebiotic interactions of enantiomorphic monolayers of mixed base composition with racemic amino acids might be implicated in a simultaneous origin of a primitive genetic coding mechanism and biomolecular homochirality. The interactions of these monolayers with carbohydrates and other derivatives is also discussed. |
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