On the origin of the genetic code

FEBS Letters

Waser, Jürg¹  Kuhn, Hans² 

[1] 6120 Terryhill Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA;Ringoldswilstrasse 50, 3656 Tschingel, Switzerland

关键词: RNA hairpin;    tRNA precursor;    mRNA precursor;    Hairpin assembly;    Genetic code;    Evolution;   

DOI  :  10.1016/0014-5793(94)00974-0

学科分类：生物化学/生物物理

来源: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

【 摘 要 】

A series of stages in the evolution of the genetic code is postulated, representing a chain of logical steps that leads to the present-day code. The stages described are based on translation machinery between the RNA world and that of amino acids, a model that consists of an RNA assembler strand along which RNA hairpin molecules are lined up, forming a picket-fence-like aggregate. Each hairpin carries an amino acid at the bottom of one of its legs, and the mutual proximity of amino acids achieved in this way facilitates their linkage into oligopeptides, in a sequence governed by the nucleotide sequence along the assembler strand, the code. The order in which amino acids are introduced into the code is in the approximate order of their availability, tempered by polarity and structural considerations.

【 授权许可】

Unknown