Homochiral Growth Through Enantiomeric Cross-Inhibition
Abstract
The stability and conservation properties of a recently proposed polymerization model are studied. The achiral (racemic) solution is linearly unstable once the relevant control parameter (here the fidelity of the catalyst) exceeds a critical value. The growth rate is calculated for different fidelity parameters and cross-inhibition rates. A chirality parameter is defined and shown to be conserved by the nonlinear terms of the model. Finally, a truncated version of the model is used to derive a set of two ordinary differential equations and it is argued that these equations are more realistic than those used in earlier models of that form.
- Publication:
-
Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere
- Pub Date:
- June 2005
- DOI:
- 10.1007/s11084-005-0656-9
- arXiv:
- arXiv:q-bio/0401036
- Bibcode:
- 2005OLEB...35..225B
- Keywords:
-
- DNA polymerization;
- enantiomeric cross-inhibition;
- origin of homochirality;
- Quantitative Biology - Biomolecules;
- Astrophysics;
- Physics - Biological Physics
- E-Print:
- 20 pages, 6 figures, Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. (accepted)