Polypeptide Chain Growth Mechanisms and Secondary Structure Formation in Glycine Gas-Phase Deposition on Silica Surfaces

Peptide formation by amino acids condensation represents a crucial reaction in the quest of the origins of life as well as in synthetic chemistry. However, it is still poorly understood in terms of efficiency and reaction mechanism. In the present work, peptide formation has been investigated through thermal condensation of gas-phase glycine in fluctuating silica environments as a model of prebiotic environments. In-situ IR spectroscopy measurements under a controlled atmosphere reveal that a humidity fluctuating system subjected to both temperature and water activity variations results in the formation of more abundant peptides compared to a dehydrated system subjected only to temperature fluctuations cycles. A model is proposed in which hydration steps result in the hydrolysis and redistribution of the oligomers formed during previous deposition in dry conditions. This results in the formation of self-assembled aggregates with well-defined secondary structures (especially beta-sheets). Upon further monomers feeding, structural elements are conserved in newly growing chains, with indications of templated polymerization. The structural dynamics of peptides were also evaluated. Rigid self-assembled structures with a high resistance to further wetting/drying cycles and inaccessibility to isotopic exchange were present in the humidity fluctuating system compared to more flexible structures in the dehydrated system. The resistance and growth of self-assembled structures were also investigated for an extended duration of Gly deposition using isotope labeling.