Abstract A correlation of various aspects of the protein structures and substrate and mechanistic specificities of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases has led to the identification of at least one family of enzymes probably derived from a common ancestral synthetase. While strong correlations exist only in one part of the array of 64 codons comprising the Genetic Code, this itself may be interpreted as a meaningful pattern, most consistent with a development of the present code from earlier codes containing fewer amino acids and fewer available codons. Specifically, strong correlations in the enzymes whose cognate tRNAs respond to codons containing a central pyrimidine, including the enzyme family of Ile-, Phe-, Val-, Met-, and Leu-tRNA synthetases, suggests that these enzymes evolved last, and that, therefore, an earlier version of the Genetic Code was comprised solely of codons containing a central purine. It is suggested that further study of the historical interrelationships of these enzymes could lead to a fairly detailed picture of how the Genetic Code developed.


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    Titel :

    Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase families and their significance to the origin of the genetic code


    Beteiligte:
    Wetzel, Ronald (Autor:in)

    Erschienen in:

    Origins of life ; 9 , 1 ; 39-50


    Erscheinungsdatum :

    1978




    Medientyp :

    Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)


    Format :

    Print


    Sprache :

    Englisch



    Klassifikation :

    BKL:    44.71 Verkehrsmedizin
    Lokalklassifikation TIB:    535/3908/4290



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