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From: diaz@aecom.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Human asymmetry
Message-ID: <1007@aecom.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-Apr-87 21:16:35 EST
Article-I.D.: aecom.1007
Posted: Fri Apr  3 21:16:35 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Apr-87 00:13:45 EST
References: <586@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <1003@aecom.UUCP>
Distribution: sci
Organization: Graduate School of Hard Knocks
Lines: 17
Summary: Craig Werner: Stereochemical Anomily?

In article <1003@aecom.UUCP>, werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) writes:
> Everything biological is assymetrical.  Why do we metabolize only
> D-sugars, not L-sugars, or use only D-amino acids, and not their L
> enantiomers.  Chemists cannot tell prochiral centers apart, but enzymes
> can.

Last time I checked, all living organisms studied thus far have proteins
made of L-amino acids. D-amino acids are found rarely, as part of
antibiotics and in the cell walls of bacteria. Perhaps Craig is a bit
more unique than we all thought.



-- 
            dn/dx = Dan Diaz    (philabs!aecom!diaz)
            Department of Molecular Biology & Pizza Chemistry AECOM
            "Hold the E.coli"