title: Homochirality and life.
abstract: Before the emergence of life, left-handed amino acids (L-enantiomers) were selected and right-handed amino acids (D-enantiomers) were eliminated on the primal earth. Nevertheless, with the progress of analytical methods, D-amino acids have recently been found in higher order living organisms in the form of free amino acids, peptides, and proteins. Free D-amino acids have numerous physiological functions. D-amino acids containing animal peptides are well known as opioid peptides. D-amino acids in protein are related to aging. In this review, we describe the D-amino acids that are present and function as D-amino acid biosystems in our bodies.
authors.affiliation: Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University Kumatori, Sennan, Osaka 590-0494, Japan. nfujii@HL.rri.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D000069497:Origin of Life; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D011506:Proteins