| Identification of diamino acids in the Murchison meteorite. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 15194825 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Amino acids identified in the Murchison chondritic meteorite by molecular and isotopic analysis are thought to have been delivered to the early Earth by asteroids, comets, and interplanetary dust particles where they may have triggered the appearance of life by assisting in the synthesis of proteins via prebiotic polycondensation reactions [Oró, J. (1961) Nature 190, 389-390; Chyba, C. F. & Sagan, C. (1992) Nature 355, 125-132]. We report the identification of diamino acids in the Murchison meteorite by new enantioselective GC-MS analyses. dl-2,3-diaminopropanoic acid, dl-2,4-diaminobutanoic acid, 4,4'-diaminoisopentanoic acid, 3,3'-diaminoisobutanoic acid, and 2,3-diaminobutanoic acid were detected in the parts per billion range after chemical transformation into N,N-diethoxycarbonyl ethyl ester derivatives. The chiral diamino acids show a racemic ratio. Laboratory data indicate that diamino acids support the formation of polypeptide structures under primitive Earth conditions [Brack, A. & Orgel, L. E. (1975) Nature 256, 383-387] and suggest polycondensation reactions of diamino acids into early peptide nucleic acid material as one feasible pathway for the prebiotic evolution of DNA and RNA genomes [Joyce, G. F. (2002) Nature 418, 214-221]. The results obtained in this study favor the assumption that not only amino acids (as the required monomers of proteins) form in interstellar/circumstellar environments, but also the family of diamino monocarboxylic acids, which might have been relevant in prebiotic chemistry. |
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Authors:
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Uwe J Meierhenrich; Guillermo M Muñoz Caro; Jan Hendrik Bredehöft; Elmar K Jessberger; Wolfram H-P Thiemann |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Date: 2004-06-11 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Volume: 101 ISSN: 0027-8424 ISO Abbreviation: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. Publication Date: 2004 Jun |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2004-06-23 Completed Date: 2004-08-23 Revised Date: 2009-11-18 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7505876 Medline TA: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 9182-6 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Bremen, FB 02, Leobener Strasse, 28359 Bremen, Germany. mhenrich@uni-bremen.de |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Amino Acids, Diamino
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analysis* Biogenesis Chromatography, Gas / methods Diamines / analysis* Meteoroids* Pyrroles / analysis |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/Amino Acids, Diamino; 0/Diamines; 0/Pyrroles |
| Comments/Corrections | |
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