Abstract
Did primitive proteins arise directly from simple inorganic molecules? Experiments show hydrogen cyanide polymers react with water to produce peptides containing at least twelve α-amino-acids.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Völker, T., Angew. Chem., 72, 379 (1960) and references cited therein.
Oró, J., and Kimball, A. P., Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 94, 217 (1961).
Sanchez, R., Ferris, J., and Orgel, L. E., Science, 153, 72 (1966).
Matthews, C. N., and Moser, R. E., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 56, 1087 (1966).
One of our mixtures of hydrogen cyanide and base (potassium cyanide) polymerized explosively. For safety, all such reactions should be carried out in an isolated and well-ventilated location.
Catravas, G., Anal. Chem., 36, 1146 (1964).
A spray solution of 1 ml. of saturated aqueous cupric nitrate and 0.2 ml. of 10 per cent nitric acid in 100 ml. of 96 per cent ethanol was used to detect diaminomaleonitrile on silica gel thin-layer chromatography plates. A characteristic purple spot appears with as little of the tetramer as 0.1 µg/cm2.
Moser, R. E., Claggett, A. R., and Matthews, C. N. (manuscript in preparation).
Cavalieri, L. F., Tinker, J. F., and Brown, G. B., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 71, 3973 (1949).
We assume that the various hydrogen cyanide reactions discussed in this paper are subject to general base catalysis or initiation, the most likely bases involved being cyanide ion, ammonia and hydroxide ion. Photochemical activation would also be feasible.
Kliss, R. M., and Matthews, C. N., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 48, 1300 (1962).
Moser, R. E., Fritsch, J. M., Westman, T. L., Kliss, R. M., and Matthews, C. N., J. Amer. Chem. Soc. (in the press).
Newman, M. S., Fukunaga, T., and Miwa, T., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 82, 873 (1966).
Moser, R. E., Claggett, A. R., and Matthews, C. N. (manuscript in preparation).
Horowitz, N. H., and Miller, S. L., Fortschr. Chem. Organ. Naturstoffe., 20, 423 (1962). Refs. 15–18 discuss experimental approaches to prebiological protein synthesis.
Fox, S. W., ed., The Origins of Prebiological Systems (Academic Press, New York, 1965).
Pattee, H. H., Adv. Enzymol., 27, 381 (1965).
Oparin, A. I., Adv. Enzymol., 27, 357 (1965).
Miller, S. L., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 77, 2351 (1955).
Grossenbacher, K. A., and Knight, C. A., ref. 16, 173.
Ponnamperuma, C., and Flores, J., Abstr. 152nd Nat. Meeting, Amer. Chem. Soc., C 33 (1966).
Hanafusa, H., and Akabori, S., Bull. Chem. Soc. Japan, 32, 626 (1959).
Oró, J., and Guidry, C. L., Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 93, 166 (1961).
Morimoto, S., Preprints Intern. Symp. Macromolecular Chem., Tokyo-Kyoto, 9–4 (1966).
Oró, J., and Kamat, J. S., Nature, 190, 442 (1961).
Lowe, C. U., Rees, M. W., and Markham, R., Nature, 199, 219 (1963).
Abelson, P. H., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 55, 1365 (1966).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
MATTHEWS, C., MOSER, R. Peptide Synthesis from Hydrogen Cyanide and Water. Nature 215, 1230–1234 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/2151230a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2151230a0
This article is cited by
-
Chemical Analysis of a “Miller-Type” Complex Prebiotic Broth
Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres (2017)
-
Prebiotic-chemistry inspired polymer coatings for biomedical and material science applications
NPG Asia Materials (2015)
-
Conformation specificity and arene binding in a peptide composed only of Lys, Ile, Ala and Gly
European Biophysics Journal (2012)
-
On the Emergence of Living Systems
Biosemiotics (2009)
-
Racemic amino acids from the ultraviolet photolysis of interstellar ice analogues
Nature (2002)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
