Synonyms
Definition
An oligopeptide is a short-chain peptide, i.e., a polymer of amino acids (AAs) connected by amide, or more precisely peptide, linkages. The term is usually limited to peptides with less than 20–25 amino acid residues.
Overview
In “peptides-first” scenarios for the emergence of biomacromolecules, oligopeptides capable of specific catalysis of some biological reactions (primitive metabolism) are suggested to have appeared without the previous existence of genetic material. For instance, in his protometabolic model, de Duve (1991) calls these short peptides “multimers.”
Chemically, the emergence of oligopeptides from preexisting amino acids poses several problems. The first two are consequences of chemical thermodynamics. The condensation of an amide bond between two AAs is thermodynamically unfavorable in solution, thus the amount of oligopeptide in an amino acid solution at equilibrium falls quickly with the peptide chain length: for instance, a glycine...
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References and Further Reading
Brack A (2007) From interstellar amino acids to prebiotic catalytic peptides: a review. Chem Biodivers 4:665–679
Cleaves HJ, Aubrey AD, Bada JL (2009) An evaluation of the critical parameters for abiotic peptide synthesis in submarine hydrothermal systems. Orig Life Evol Biosph 39:3109–3126
Commeyras A, Taillades J, Collet H, Boiteau L, Vandenabeele-Trambouze O, Pascal R, Rousset A, Garrel L, Rossi J-C, Biron J-P, Lagrille O, Plasson R, Souaid E, Danger G, Selsis F, Dobrijévic M, Martin H (2004) Dynamic co-evolution of peptides and chemical energetics, a gateway to the emergence of homochirality and the catalytic activity of peptides. Orig Life Evol Biosph 34:35–55
de Duve C (1991) Blueprint for a cell: the nature and origin of life. Neil Patterson, Burlington
Lambert J-F (2008) Adsorption and polymerization of amino acids on mineral surfaces: a review. Orig Life Evol Biosph 38:211–242
Leslie E (1998) Orgel polymerization on the rocks: theoretical introduction. Orig Life Evol Biosph 28(3):227–234
Rode BM (1999) Peptides and the origin of life. Peptides 20:773–786
Zaia DAM (2004) A review of adsorption of amino acids on minerals: was it important for origin of life? Amino Acids 27:113–118
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Lambert, JF. (2023). Oligopeptide. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65093-6_1106
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