Theoretical Framework for Novel Catalytic Biomolecules Composed of Multiple Peptides

Protein-based enzymes are among the most efficient catalysts on our planet. A common feature of protein enzymes is that all catalytic amino acids occupy a limited, narrow space and face each other. In this study, we created a theoretical novel biomimetic molecule containing different multiple catalytic peptides. Although single peptides are far less catalytically efficient than protein enzymes, Octopus-arms-mimicking biomolecules containing eight different peptides (Octopuzymes) can efficiently catalyze organic reactions. Since structural information for extant protein enzymes, predicted enzymes based on genome data, and artificially designed enzymes is available for designing Octopuzymes, they could in theory mimic all protein enzyme reactions on our planet. Moreover, besides L-amino acids, peptides can contain D-amino acids, non-natural amino acids, chemically modified amino acids, nucleotides, vitamins, and manmade catalysts, leading to a huge expansion of catalytic space compared with extant protein enzymes. Once a reaction catalyzed by an Octopuzyme is defined, it could be rapidly evolvable via multiple amino acid substitutions on the eight peptides of Octopuzymes.