Influence of Nucleic Acid on Racemisation of Peptide Synthesis by Water Soluble Carbodiimide and its Relevance to the Origin of Genetic Code

Abstract

To understand the principle of complementarity in protein nucleic acid interaction as well as its manifestations in the organization of nucleoprotein complexes and the control of gene regulation and expression is a key problem in the present day of molecular biology(1). It is probably important in understanding chemical evolution of life based on coupling between proteins and nucleic acids and as well as near universal condon-amino acid relationship. The template directed polymerization of nucleic acids and of amino acids is the key element in contemporary living systems. The rules that govern self recognition of nucleic acid are simple but uniquely defined by the rules of complementarity in the interaction of purines and pyrimidines for base pairing. It is also manifested in template directed in enzymatic (ie replication and transcription) and nonenzymatic polymerization of nucleic acids(2–4). Enzymes are involved only in kinetic control. In contrast nucleic acid directed condensation of amino acids takes place via t-RNA and involves condon-anticodon specificity; the error free incorporation of L-amino acids is rather kinectically controlled(5). Thus it does not give us any clue as to how the intricate machinery of protein synthesis evolved from prebiotic soup containing amino acids/dipeptides, and mononucliotides, whose synthesis are shown to be feasible under prebiotic conditions.