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Oxidative peptide /and amide/ formation from Schiff base complexesOne hypothesis of the origin of pre-modern forms of life is that the original replicating molecules were specific polypeptides which acted as templates for the assembly of poly-Schiff bases complementary to the template, and that these polymers were then oxidized to peptide linkages, probably by photo-produced oxidants. A double cycle of such anti-parallel complementary replication would yield the original peptide polymer. If this model were valid, the Schiff base between an N-acyl alpha mino aldehyde and an amino acid should yield a dipeptide in aqueous solution in the presence of an appropriate oxidant. In the present study it is shown that the substituted dipeptide, N-acetyl-tyrosyl-tyrosine, is produced in high yield in aqueous solution at pH 9 through the action of H2O2 on the Schiff-base complex between N-acetyl-tyrosinal and tyrosine and that a great variety of N-acyl amino acids are formed from amino acids and aliphatic aldehydes under similar conditions.
Document ID
19830037029
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Strehler, B. L.
(University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Li, M. P.
(Southern California, University Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Martin, K.
(California, University San Diego, CA, United States)
Fliss, H.
(Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH, United States)
Schmid, P.
(University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1982
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Molecular Evolution
Volume: 19
Subject Category
Space Biology
Accession Number
83A18247
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSG-7376
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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