BIOSYNTHESIS OF PROTEINS 267 



synthesis is supplied by the simukaneous decomposition of 

 the esters/*" M. Bergmann^*^ also brought about the syn- 

 thesis of peptides. He obtained anilides of acylamino acids 

 from the corresponding amino acid derivatives and various 

 anilides by the action of papain and chymotrypsin on them. 



In recent years a number of authors have been laying more 

 and more stress on the part played by transamidation^'^ and 

 transpeptidation^*^ in the process of the biosynthesis of pro- 

 teins. The enzymic nature of these processes is indubitable 

 and the only question which is not yet quite clear is whether 

 there are specific enzymes for transpeptidation or whether 

 the proteolytic enzymes themselves perform this function.^** 

 In particular, I. L. Kaganova and V. N. Orekhovich"^ have 

 observed a large number of transpeptidations occurring under 

 the influence of chymotrypsin. 



It must, however, be admitted that, notwithstanding all 

 this, the direct participation of the enzymic apparatus of 

 the protoplasm in the biosynthesis of proteins has still not 

 received nearly enough study. In particular there remains 

 the vexed question of the part played by enzymes in the 

 creation of the specific structure and properties of the 

 proteins which have been synthesised. 



As early as 1939, M. Bergmann put forward the opinion 

 that the sequence in which the amino acids are arranged 

 in the polypeptide chain is determined by the relative rates 

 of the different enzymic reactions co-operating in the syn- 

 thesis. 



This opinion is not ^videly supported in the world litera- 

 ture at present chiefly because people are distracted by the 

 part played by spatial factors in the determination of the 

 specificity of proteins. For example, F. Haurowitz^^ states, 

 during the development of his hypothesis concerning the 

 synthesis of proteins on an extensive ' protein template ','" 

 that the amino acids Avhich are arranged in a particular order 

 on this template combine together owing to the action of 

 non-specific proteolytic enzymes such as trypsin or papain. 

 He adds that the specificity of the synthetic processes may 

 now be attributed, not to the specificity of the catalysts, but 

 to the specificity of the organiser or inductor. 



A. L. Bounce used to believe that, for amino acids to 



