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Science 24 October 1975:
Vol. 190. no. 4212, pp. 387 - 389
DOI: 10.1126/science.170680
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Articles

Science, Vol 190, Issue 4212, 387-389
Copyright © 1975 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Heteropolypeptides from poly-alpha-cyanoglycine and hydrogen cyanide: a model for the origin of proteins

R Minard, W Yang, P Varma, J Nelson, and C Matthews

Poly-alpha-cyanoglycine, a homopolymer synthesized from the N-carboxyanhydride of alpha-cyanoglycine, is converted by cumulative reaction of hydrogen cyanide to heteropolypeptides that can be hydrolyzed to protein amino acids, including glycine, alanine, valine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the original heteropolypeptides on the earth arose spontaneously from hydrogen cyanide and water without the intervening formation of alpha-amino acids.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
HCN did not condense to give heteropolypeptides on the primitive earth.
J. Ferris (1979)
Science 203, 1135-1137
   PDF »
HCN Did Not Condense to Give Heteropolypeptides on the Primitive Earth.
C. N. MATTHEWS (1979)
Science 203, 1136-1137
   PDF »
Deuterolysis of amino acid precursors: evidence for hydrogen cyanide polymers as protein ancestors.
C Matthews, J Nelson, P Varma, and R Minard (1977)
Science 198, 622-625
   Abstract »    PDF »


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