Abkevich V I, Gutin A M, Shakhnovich E I
Harvard University, Department of Chemistry, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 Jan 23;93(2):839-44. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.2.839.
In this work, we discuss a possible origin of the first biopolymers with stable unique structures. We suggest that at the prebiotic stage of evolution, long organic polymers had to be compact to avoid hydrolysis and had to be soluble and thus must not be exceedingly hydrophobic. We present an algorithm that generates such sequences for model proteins. The evolved sequences turn out to have a stable unique structure, into which they quickly fold. This result illustrates the idea that the unique three-dimensional native structures of first biopolymers could have evolved as a side effect of nonspecific physicochemical factors acting at the prebiotic stage of evolution.
在这项工作中,我们讨论了具有稳定独特结构的首批生物聚合物的可能起源。我们认为,在进化的前生物阶段,长有机聚合物必须紧凑以避免水解,并且必须是可溶的,因此绝不能极度疏水。我们提出了一种为模型蛋白质生成此类序列的算法。进化出的序列具有稳定的独特结构,它们能迅速折叠成该结构。这一结果说明了这样一种观点,即首批生物聚合物独特的三维天然结构可能是在进化的前生物阶段起作用的非特异性物理化学因素的一种副作用而演化形成的。