Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Peptide Bonds02:43

Peptide Bonds

54.3K
A peptide bond covalently attaches amino acids through a dehydration reaction. One amino acid's carboxyl group and another amino acid's amino group combine, releasing a water molecule. The resulting bond is the peptide bond. The products that such linkages form are peptides. As more amino acids join this growing chain, the resulting chain is a polypeptide. Each polypeptide has a free amino group at one end. This end has the N-terminal, or the amino-terminal, and the other end has a free...
54.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Thioester-mediated RNA aminoacylation and peptidyl-RNA synthesis in water.

Nature·2025
Same author

On the aqueous origins of the condensation polymers of life.

Nature reviews. Chemistry·2024
Same author

Prebiotically plausible chemoselective pantetheine synthesis in water.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2024
Same author

Selective Synthesis of Lysine Peptides and the Prebiotically Plausible Synthesis of Catalytically Active Diaminopropionic Acid Peptide Nitriles in Water.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2023
Same author

Prebiotic triose glycolysis promoted by co-catalytic proline and phosphate in neutral water.

Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)·2022
Same author

Photochemistry of 2-thiooxazole: a plausible prebiotic precursor to RNA nucleotides.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2022

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 3, 2026

Constructing Thioether/Vinyl Sulfide-tethered Helical Peptides Via Photo-induced Thiol-ene/yne Hydrothiolation
11:09

Constructing Thioether/Vinyl Sulfide-tethered Helical Peptides Via Photo-induced Thiol-ene/yne Hydrothiolation

Published on: August 1, 2018

10.7K

Spontaneous Peptide Ligation Mediated by Cysteamine.

Abid Barat1, Matthew W Powner1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom.

JACS Au
|May 31, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Prebiotic peptides can now be synthesized in water using cysteamine. This aminothiol facilitates spontaneous peptide bond formation, offering a new pathway for the origins of life research.

Area of Science:

  • Astrobiology
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Peptides are fundamental to life, suggesting a crucial role in abiogenesis.
  • Spontaneous, chemoselective peptide synthesis in water is a key unsolved problem in origin of life research.
  • Aminonitriles are considered prebiotic precursors but do not readily polymerize in water.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential of prebiotically plausible molecules for spontaneous peptide synthesis in water.
  • To identify a catalyst or precursor that enables efficient and selective peptide bond formation under early Earth conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized cysteamine, a prebiotically plausible aminothiol, in Strecker chemistry reactions.
  • Investigated the polymerization of resulting β-mercaptoethyl-α-aminonitriles and β-mercaptoethyl-amino acids in aqueous conditions.

More Related Videos

Synthesis and Structure Determination of µ-Conotoxin PIIIA Isomers with Different Disulfide Connectivities
11:44

Synthesis and Structure Determination of µ-Conotoxin PIIIA Isomers with Different Disulfide Connectivities

Published on: October 2, 2018

12.6K
Constructing Cyclic Peptides Using an On-Tether Sulfonium Center
07:11

Constructing Cyclic Peptides Using an On-Tether Sulfonium Center

Published on: September 28, 2022

2.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 3, 2026

Constructing Thioether/Vinyl Sulfide-tethered Helical Peptides Via Photo-induced Thiol-ene/yne Hydrothiolation
11:09

Constructing Thioether/Vinyl Sulfide-tethered Helical Peptides Via Photo-induced Thiol-ene/yne Hydrothiolation

Published on: August 1, 2018

10.7K
Synthesis and Structure Determination of µ-Conotoxin PIIIA Isomers with Different Disulfide Connectivities
11:44

Synthesis and Structure Determination of µ-Conotoxin PIIIA Isomers with Different Disulfide Connectivities

Published on: October 2, 2018

12.6K
Constructing Cyclic Peptides Using an On-Tether Sulfonium Center
07:11

Constructing Cyclic Peptides Using an On-Tether Sulfonium Center

Published on: September 28, 2022

2.7K
  • Analyzed the kinetics, yield, and selectivity of the intramolecular thiol-catalyzed ligation process.

    • Main Results:

    • Demonstrated that cysteamine yields β-mercaptoethyl-α-aminonitriles and amino acids that spontaneously form peptides in water.
    • Showcased intramolecular thiol-catalyzed ligation as a faster, higher-yielding, and more α-selective method than previous prebiotic chemistries.
    • Achieved highly regioselective α-ligation of specific dinitriles in quantitative yields.

    Conclusions:

    • Cysteamine can facilitate the selective chemical synthesis of prebiotic α-peptides in water.
    • The findings suggest cysteamine, a component of coenzyme A, may have been vital for early peptide formation.
    • This work provides a plausible chemical pathway for the synthesis of peptides, crucial building blocks of life.