title: Functional Proteins from Short Peptides: Dayhoff's Hypothesis Turns 50.
abstract: First and foremost: Margaret Dayhoff's 1966 hypothesis on the origin of proteins is now an accepted model for the emergence of large, globular, functional proteins from short, simple peptides. However, the fundamental question of how the first protein(s) emerged still stands. The tools and hypotheses pioneered by Dayhoff, and the over 65 million protein sequences and 12 000 structures known today, enable those who follow in her footsteps to address this question.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: M Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Romero Romero
authors.affiliation: Current address: Department of Biological Chemistry the Alexander Silberman Inst. of Life Sciences, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel.
authors.forename: Avigayel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rabin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Dan S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Tawfik
mesh_terms: D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins
keywords: Margaret O. Dayhoff; origin of life; peptides; protein evolution; proteins