Scientists Have Identified Protein That May Have Existed When Life Began

How was life formed on our planet? Researchers at Rutgers University have the first and probably the only evidence that suggests that simple protein catalysts - that can be repeatedly charged and discharged - may have existed when life began on Earth. The study of primordial peptide, or short protein, is published in Journal of the American Chemical Society. Gunter Wachtershauser, a chemist, postulated in late 80s that life began on iron and sulfur containing rocks in ocean. The complex proteins that our DNA is formed from are quite long. When life began, these proteins were much simpler and were just 10 to 20 amino acids long.

Using computer modelling, scientists are investigating what early peptides may have looked like and what was their structure and their chemical functions. They found these peptides to have very impressive and important features. It has only two types of amino acids and they could have formed in Earth during early times. The metal cluster in these peptides resembles structure and chemistry of iron-sulphur minerals that are found in plenty in early Earth oceans. These peptides were also found to charge and discharge quickly without falling apart.

Some modern proteins also do this and they play an important role to promote metabolism. This early peptide might have had a similar role in early origins of life on Earth.

By: Neha Maheshwari

Content: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180830180101.htm