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Serine Octamers: Cluster Formation, Reactions, and Implications for Biomolecule Homochirality
Author(s) -
Nanita Sergio C.,
Cooks R. Graham
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.200501328
Subject(s) - homochirality , abiogenesis , biomolecule , serine , amino acid , chemistry , enantiomer , cluster (spacecraft) , stereochemistry , astrobiology , biochemistry , biology , enzyme , computer science , programming language
The emergence of homochirality continues to be one of the most challenging topics associated with the origin of life. One possible scenario is that aggregates of amino acids might have been involved in a sequence of chemical events that led to chiral biomolecules in self‐replicating systems, that is, to homochirogenesis. Serine is the amino acid of principal interest, since it forms “magic‐number” ionic clusters composed of eight amino acid units, and the clusters have a remarkable preference for homochirality. These serine octamer clusters (Ser 8 ) can be generated under simulated prebiotic conditions and react selectively with other biomolecules. These observations led to the hypothesis that serine reactions were responsible for the first chiral selection in nature which was then passed through chemical reactions to other amino acids, saccharides, and peptides. This Review evaluates the chemistry of Ser 8 clusters and the experimental evidence that supports their possible role in homochirogenesis.