| Stability of Amino Acids and Their Oligomerization Under High-Pressure Conditions: Implications for Prebiotic Chemistry. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21961531 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Abstract The polymerization of amino acids leading to the formation of peptides and proteins is a significant problem for the origin of life. This problem stems from the instability of amino acids and the difficulty of their oligomerization in aqueous environments, such as seafloor hydrothermal systems. We investigated the stability of amino acids and their oligomerization reactions under high-temperature (180-400°C) and high-pressure (1.0-5.5 GPa) conditions, based on the hypothesis that the polymerization of amino acids occurred in marine sediments during diagenesis and metamorphism, at convergent margins on early Earth. Our results show that the amino acids glycine and alanine are stabilized by high pressure. Oligomers up to pentamers were formed, which has never been reported for alanine in the absence of a catalyst. The yields of peptides at a given temperature and reaction time were higher under higher-pressure conditions. Elemental, infrared, and isotopic analyses of the reaction products indicated that deamination is a key degradation process for amino acids and peptides under high-pressure conditions. A possible NH(3)-rich environment in marine sediments on early Earth may have further stabilized amino acids and peptides by inhibiting their deamination. Key Words: Origin of life-Peptide formation-Pressure-Deamination. Astrobiology 11, xxx-xxx. |
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Authors:
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Tsubasa Otake; Takashi Taniguchi; Yoshihiro Furukawa; Fumio Kawamura; Hiromoto Nakazawa; Takeshi Kakegawa |
Publication Detail:
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Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2011-9-30 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Astrobiology Volume: - ISSN: 1557-8070 ISO Abbreviation: - Publication Date: 2011 Sep |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2011-10-3 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 101088083 Medline TA: Astrobiology Country: - |
Other Details:
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Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: - |
Affiliation:
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1 Department of Earth Science, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University , Sendai, Japan . |
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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