Nature Communications (Nov 2019)
Enzyme-mimetic self-catalyzed polymerization of polypeptide helices
Abstract
The folding-dependent catalytic behavior of enzymes is of fundamental biological importance, yet mechanistically underexplored. Here, the authors show that an α-helix, commonly found in proteins, can facilitate its own growth through the self-catalyzed polymerization of N-carboxyanhydride in solvents with low polarity.