Host: The Japan Society of Vacuum and Surface Science
Polymerization of amino acids through a dry-wet cycle on mineral surfaces is one of the processes in the chemical evolution theory from amino acids to complex protein structures. The dry-wet cycle can allow intermittent and repetitive supply of water-soluble organic molecules and their dehydration condensation. Focusing on amino acids that are essential to living organisms, the abiotic polymerization process of amino acids by dehydration reaction is essential for complex peptide formation on the prebiotic Earth. In particular, the production of hetero-dipeptides from heterologous amino acids is the key to the birth of a wide variety of peptides composed of amino acids. Titanium oxide, which is abundant on the earth, is known as a promising mineral for polymerization of amino acids. Here, in this study, we synthesized hetero-dipeptides on titanium dioxide by the dry-wet cycle.
