According to a new investigation

May 7, 2010 10:29 GMT  ·  By
Emory University scientists have discovered that simple peptides can organize into bi-layer membranes
   Emory University scientists have discovered that simple peptides can organize into bi-layer membranes

A group of researchers has recently demonstrated that simple peptides may have played a monumental role in promoting the development of more complex life on our planet. For many years, evolutionary biologists have been wondering as to how the gap between Earth's prebiotic chemical inventory, and the more complex organizational scaffolding that followed was covered, and the new data fill in the blanks. Scientists at the Emory University essentially demonstrated that simple peptides can organize in more complex bi-layer membranes, which is something experts had no idea they could do until now.

“We've shown that peptides can form the kind of membranes needed to create long-range order. What's also interesting is that these peptide membranes may have the potential to function in a complex way, like a protein,” explains Seth Childers, who is a chemistry graduate student at the Emory University. He is also the lead author of a new paper detailing the finding, which appears in the latest issue of the German Chemical Society's respected scientific journal Angwandte Chemie.

According to Yan Liang, also a chemistry graduate student at EU, peptides were imaged as they first came together in the shape of a molten globular structure. They then proceeded to self-assemble into the by-layer membranes that are a hallmark of more complex structures. Additional details of this process were published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. “In order to form nuclei, which become the templates for growth, the peptides first repel water. Once the peptides form the template, we can now see how they assemble from the outer edges,” Liang adds.

“This is a boon to our understanding of large, structural assemblies of molecules. We've proved that peptides can organize as bi-layers, and we've generated the first, real-time imaging of the self-assembly process. We can actually watch in real-time as these nanomachines make themselves,” explains EU professor David Lynn, who is the Chair of the Chemistry Department. He was also involved with both research papers, which resulted from a collaboration of the departments of Chemistry, Biology and Physics at the university.

“The peptide membranes combine the long-range structure of cell membranes with the local order of enzymes. Now that we understand that peptide membranes are organized locally like a protein, we want to investigate whether they can function like a protein. We'd really like to understand how to build something from the bottom up. How can we take atoms and make molecules? How can we get molecules that stick together to make nano-machines that will perform specific tasks?” Childers concludes.