1. Mechanosensitive self-replication driven by self-organization
- Author
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Carnall, Jacqui M.A., Waudby, Christopher A., Belenguer, Ana M., Stuart, Marc C.A., Peyralans, Jerome J.-P., and Otto, Sijbren
- Subjects
Biosynthesis -- Research ,Peptides -- Chemical properties ,Life -- Origin ,Life -- Research ,Science and technology - Abstract
Self-replicating molecules are likely to have played an important role in the origin of life, and a small number of fully synthetic self-replicators have already been described. Yet it remains an open question which factors most effectively bias the replication toward the far-from-equilibrium distributions characterizing even simple organisms. We report here two self-replicating peptide-derived macrocycles that emerge from a small dynamic combinatorial library and compete for a common feedstock. Replication is driven by nanostructure formation, resulting from the assembly of the peptides into fibers held together by [beta] sheets. Which of the two replicators becomes dominant is influenced by whether the sample is shaken or stirred. These results establish that mechanical forces can act as a selection pressure in the competition between replicators and can determine the outcome of a covalent synthesis. 10.1126/science.1182767
- Published
- 2010
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