title: Toward peptide nucleic acid (PNA) directed peptide translation using ester based aminoacyl transfer.
abstract: Peptide synthesis is a fundamental feature of life. However, it still remains unclear how the contemporary translation apparatus evolved from primitive prebiotic systems and at which stage of the evolution peptide synthesis emerged. Using simple molecular architectures, in which aminoacyl transfer of phenylalanine occurs either between two ends of a PNA stem loop structure, between two PNAs in a duplex, or between two PNAs assembled on a PNA template, we show that bona fide template instructed phenylalanine transfer can take place. Thus, we have identified conditions which allow template assisted intermolecular aminoacyl transfer using simple ester aminolysis chemistry primitively analogous to the ribosomal peptidyl transferase reaction in the absence of anchimeric assistance from ribose and ribosome catalysis. These results help define the minimum chemical boundary conditions for the translation process and also give insight into the possibilities for the prebiotic emergence of RNA-independent translation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and ‡Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen , The Panum Institute, Blegdamsvej 3c, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Abhishek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singhal
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bagnacani
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Corradini
authors.forename: Peter E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004952:Esters; D020135:Peptide Nucleic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D004952:Esters; D020135:Peptide Nucleic Acids