Ser-His catalyses the formation of peptides and PNAs

The dipeptide seryl-histidine (Ser-His) catalyses the condensation of esters of amino acids, peptide fragments, and peptide nucleic acid (PNA) building blocks, bringing to the formation of peptide bonds. Di-, tri- or tetra-peptides can be formed with yields that vary from 0.5% to 60% depending on the nature of the substrate and on the conditions. Other simpler peptides as Gly-Gly, or Gly-Gly-Gly are also effective, although less efficiently. We discuss the results from the viewpoint of primitive chemistry and the origin of long macromolecules by stepwise fragment condensations. (C) 2008 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved