Chirality of Living Systems: A Helping Hand from Crystals and Oligopeptides

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Abstract
Left–right asymmetry is ubiquitous in nature. Recent studies reveal changes in the energy and growth rate of crystal surfaces to which D or L amino acids bind, with the binding itself being dictated by stereochemical matching. Likewise, oligomerization of amino acids appears to be a chiroselective process that enables the propagation of sequences with defined handedness.[[For a definition of chiroselective self‐assembly, see: M. Bolli, R. Micura, A. Eschenmoser, Chem. Biol. 1997, 4, 309–320.]] These results, along with related findings on symmetry breaking and further amplification of asymmetry at a supramolecular level, constitute new insights into the origin of homochirality in living species.