Prebiotically Plausible Autocatalytic Peptide Amyloids

The prebiotic emergence of molecules capable both of self-replication and of storing information was a defining event at the dawn of life. Still, no plausible prebiotic self-replication of biologically relevant molecules has been demonstrated. Building upon the known templating nature of amyloids, we present two systems in which the products of a peptide-bond-forming reaction act as self-replicators to enhance the yield and stereoselectivity of their formation. This first report of an amino acid condensation that can undergo autocatalysis further supports the potential role of amyloids in prebiotic molecular evolution as an environment-responsive and information-coding system capable of self-replication.