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The Template Theory and the Role of Transpeptidation in Protein Biosynthesis

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Abstract

The synthesis of protein occurs without detectable evidence of free peptide intermediates. This fact, and the specificity of proteins, have been explained by the so-called ‘template theory’, in which it is assumed that the amino-acids are laid down in their correct order on a template (? consisting of nucleic acid) with subsequent bond formation and separation from the template1. Recent work has shown that transpeptidation occurs with peptides in artificial systems2, and evidence has been sought for the participation of transpeptidation in protein synthesis. In these experiments protein synthesis has been brought about in the presence of isotopically labelled amino-acid. The resultant protein is degraded, the appropriate amino-acid isolated from two different parts of the chain and the specific activities compared. It is assumed that if thetemplate theory is correct, all amino-acids must be laid down on the template effectively simultaneously, so that differences in activity of the same amino-acid residue in different parts of the chain are evidence for transpeptidation3. We wish to show that this assumption is not necessarily justifiable.

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References

  1. For collected references, see Campbell, P. N., and Work, T. S., p. 996 of this issue of Nature, and also ref. 3(c).

  2. For collected references, see Borsook, H., Fortschr. d. Chem. org. Naturst., 9, 292 (1952).

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  3. (a) Anfinsen, C. B., Science, 114, 683 (1951). (b) Anfinsen, C. B., and Steinberg, D., J. Biol. Chem., 189, 739 (1951); Fed. Proc., 10, 156 (1951). (c) Steinberg, D., and Anfinsen, C. B., J. Biol. Chem., 199, 25 (1952).

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  4. Dounce, A. L., Enzymologia, 15, 251 (1952).

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DALGLIESH, C. The Template Theory and the Role of Transpeptidation in Protein Biosynthesis. Nature 171, 1027–1028 (1953). https://doi.org/10.1038/1711027a0

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