Volume 55, Issue 52 pp. 15966-15971
Essay

Functional Proteins from Short Peptides: Dayhoff's Hypothesis Turns 50

Dr. M. Luisa Romero Romero

Dr. M. Luisa Romero Romero

Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100 Israel

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Avigayel Rabin

Avigayel Rabin

Current address: Department of Biological Chemistry the Alexander Silberman Inst. of Life Sciences, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Jerusalem, 91904 Israel

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Prof. Dan S. Tawfik

Corresponding Author

Prof. Dan S. Tawfik

Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100 Israel

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First published: 16 November 2016
Citations: 79

Graphical Abstract

First and foremost: Margaret Dayhoff's 1966 hypothesis on the origin of proteins is now an accepted model for the emergence of large, globular, functional proteins from short, simple peptides. However, the fundamental question of how the first protein(s) emerged still stands. The tools and hypotheses pioneered by Dayhoff, and the over 65 million protein sequences and 12 000 structures known today, enable those who follow in her footsteps to address this question.

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