The formation of chromophores through amino acid thermolysis and their possible role as prebiotic photoreceptors.

The thermal polymerization of amino-acid mixtures was studied at various temperatures and reaction times with specific emphasis on the formation of fluorescent chromophores. The reaction conditions appeared to have a pronounced effect on the ratio of synthesized chromophores and biuret-positive material. During thermolysis of equimolar mixtures of lysine, alanine and glycine or lysine, aspartic acid and glycine small amounts of pteridines and flavines are formed, which are often covalently linked to the thermal oligomer. These heterocyclic compounds are likely formed by condensation reactions of the amino acid break-down and conversion products. Reaction schemes that describe the processes are proposed. The significance of these chromoproteinoids is discussed in respect to prebiotic redox reactions and photoinduced processes.