Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

From DNA to Protein

From DNA to Protein

The flow of genetic information in cells from DNA to mRNA to protein is described by the central dogma, which states that genes specify the sequence of mRNAs, which in turn specify the sequence of amino acids making up all proteins. The decoding of one molecule to another is performed by specific proteins and RNAs. Because the information stored in DNA is so central to cellular function, it makes intuitive sense that the cell would make mRNA copies of this information for protein synthesis...

The Central Dogma

The Central Dogma

The Central Dogma

The Central Dogma

The central dogma explains the flow of genetic information from DNA nucleotides to the amino acid sequence of proteins.
RNA is the Missing Link Between DNA and Proteins
In the early 1900s, scientists discovered that DNA stores all the information needed for cellular functions and that proteins perform most of these functions. However, the mechanisms of converting genetic information into functional proteins remained unknown for many years. Initially, it was believed that a single gene is...

Genome Copying Errors

Genome Copying Errors

DNA replication is a well-evolved process that copies millions of base pairs with high fidelity during each cell division. Occasionally a wrong base or a long stretch of wrong bases may get added to the daughter strands. If the errors are left unchecked, cells might accumulate several mutations that might endanger their survival. Therefore, the copying errors are checked and repaired at three levels.

Improving Translational Accuracy

Improving Translational Accuracy

Base complementarity between the three base pairs of mRNA codon and the tRNA anticodon is not a failsafe mechanism. Inaccuracies can range from a single mismatch to no correct base pairing at all. The free energy difference between the correct and nearly correct base pairs can be as small as 3 kcal/ mol. With complementarity being the only proofreading step, the estimated error frequency would be one wrong amino acid in every 100 amino acids incorporated. However, error frequencies observed in...

Types of Errors: Detection and Minimization

Types of Errors: Detection and Minimization

Error is the deviation of the obtained result from the true, expected value or the estimated central value. Errors are expressed in absolute or relative terms.
Absolute error in a measurement is the numerical difference from the true or central value. Relative error is the ratio between absolute error and the true or central value, expressed as a percentage.
Errors can be classified by source, magnitude, and sign. There are three types of errors: systematic, random, and gross.
Systematic or...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

How trait distributions evolve in populations with parametric heterogeneity.

Mathematical biosciences·2019

Same author

Generalized quasispecies model on finite metric spaces: isometry groups and spectral properties of evolutionary matrices.

Journal of mathematical biology·2018

Same author

Cellular origin of the viral capsid-like bacterial microcompartments.

Biology direct·2017

Same author

The enigmatic archaeal virosphere.

Nature reviews. Microbiology·2017

Same author

Metagenomics reshapes the concepts of RNA virus evolution by revealing extensive horizontal virus transfer.

Virus research·2017

Same author

Mobile Genetic Elements and Evolution of CRISPR-Cas Systems: All the Way There and Back.

Genome biology and evolution·2017

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Rare Event Detection Using Error-corrected DNA and RNA Sequencing

Rare Event Detection Using Error-corrected DNA and RNA Sequencing

Published on: August 3, 2018

Exceptional error minimization in putative primordial genetic codes.

Artem S Novozhilov¹, Eugene V Koonin

¹National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA. novozhil@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

|November 21, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Early genetic codes with two letters and 10-16 amino acids were nearly optimal for minimizing translation errors. This suggests strong selection pressure or a unique event shaped the primordial genetic code.

More Related Videos

Identifying Amino Acid Overproducers Using Rare-Codon-Rich Markers

Identifying Amino Acid Overproducers Using Rare-Codon-Rich Markers

Published on: June 24, 2019

Residue-specific Incorporation of Noncanonical Amino Acids into Model Proteins Using an Escherichia coli Cell-free Transcription-translation System

Residue-specific Incorporation of Noncanonical Amino Acids into Model Proteins Using an Escherichia coli Cell-free Transcription-translation System

Published on: August 1, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Rare Event Detection Using Error-corrected DNA and RNA Sequencing

Rare Event Detection Using Error-corrected DNA and RNA Sequencing

Published on: August 3, 2018

Identifying Amino Acid Overproducers Using Rare-Codon-Rich Markers

Identifying Amino Acid Overproducers Using Rare-Codon-Rich Markers

Published on: June 24, 2019

Residue-specific Incorporation of Noncanonical Amino Acids into Model Proteins Using an Escherichia coli Cell-free Transcription-translation System

Residue-specific Incorporation of Noncanonical Amino Acids into Model Proteins Using an Escherichia coli Cell-free Transcription-translation System

Published on: August 1, 2016

Area of Science:

Origin of Life
Genetics
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

The standard genetic code exhibits redundancy and non-random structure, with similar amino acids often encoded by codons differing by a single base substitution.
This structure confers robustness to translation errors, interpreted as either adaptive selection or a byproduct of other evolutionary forces.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the error-minimization properties of putative primordial genetic codes.
To assess the robustness of early genetic codes to mistranslation.

Main Methods:

Computational experiments were performed on 16-supercodon tables with a redundant third base.
A previously derived cost function and error minimization percentage were used to measure code robustness.
Ten primordial amino acids, inferred from abiotic synthesis, were used to populate the tables.

Main Results:

Putative primordial codes with 10 amino acids and a redundant third base demonstrated near-optimal error minimization.
The resulting 2-letter codes showed a high level of robustness to mistranslation.
These findings were independent of assumptions about the code's evolutionary history.

Conclusions:

Primordial genetic codes with limited letters and amino acids were likely near-optimal in minimizing translation errors.
This near-optimality may stem from early selection during co-evolution with translation systems or a singular event.
Subsequent code expansion likely reduced error minimization, a trade-off offset by improved translation fidelity.