Their study published in Life used computer simulations (Fig. 2, lower) to clarify why the amino acid L-alanine was preferred over D-alanine during primordial RNA aminoacylation reactions, without ...

After their success using cyanide to drive other chemical reactions, Krishnamurthy and his colleagues suspected that cyanide, even without enzymes, might also help turn α-keto acids into amino acids.

One metabolic pathway that produces amino acids involves transamination, a reaction in which an amino group is transferred to a keto acid. Normally, an enzyme or a cofactor catalyzes transamination.

Selective incorporation of proteinaceous over nonproteinaceous cationic amino acids in model prebiotic oligomerization reactions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019; 201904849 ...

Although we can identify specific amino acids as being involved in the specific chemical reactions of catalysis, the ability of the protein to work as an effective catalyst may also rely on amino ...

Then, this was placed into water containing hydroxy acids, which help amino acid reactions occur. Finally, the mixture was heated to 85° C (185° F) to mimic mild conditions of the era, and ...

Takashi Fukushima, Miho Yamauchi. Electrosynthesis of amino acids from biomass-derivable acids on titanium dioxide. Chemical Communications, 2019; 55 (98): 14721 DOI: 10.1039/c9cc07208j ...

It had long been thought, but never demonstrated, that imino acids are formed in the reactions catalyzed by D- and L-amino acid oxidases (EC 1.4.3.3 and 1.4.3.2). The formation of imino acids is now ...

Amino acids are important building blocks for protein synthesis and are also intermediary metabolites that fuel biosynthetic reactions, thus playing a dual role in cellular metabolism. Accurate ...

The non-biological amino acids had the potential to chemically react equally well or better than the biological ones and frequently become part of the tiny chains, perhaps serving as an in-between ...