Reaction Networks

The study of synthetic molecular networks is of fundamental importance for understanding the organizational principles of biological systems. An important family of the nonenzymatic systems uses template-directed catalysis as a means of wiring the network components and controlling their dynamics and replication. As such, these networks have received considerable attention with respect to possible scenarios in the origins of life and early molecular evolution. In this review, we summarize recent studies aimed at the design and functional analysis of peptide-based replicating networks. Design of the networks, by simultaneous implementation of autocatalysis and cross-catalysis, is first explained. It is followed by detailing how one can simulate the complex networks' kinetics, and how it is possible to manipulate the catalytic processes and thus to control the entire network topology. At the end, we discuss the relevancy of these findings to the study of biochemical networks, such as RNA networks.