Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Central Dogma01:20

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...
The Central Dogma01:25

The Central Dogma

Overview
From DNA to Protein03:06

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...
Proteins: From Genes to Degradation02:11

Proteins: From Genes to Degradation

Within a biological system, the DNA encodes the RNA, and the nucleotide sequence in the RNA further defines the amino acid sequence in the protein. This is referred to as “The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology” - a term coined by Francis Crick.  Central dogma is a firm principle in biology that defines the flow of genetic information within any life form. The two fundamental steps in central dogma are - transcription and translation.
Transcription is the synthesis of RNA molecules by RNA...
Improving Translational Accuracy02:07

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...
Prokaryotic Gene Structure and Organization01:28

Prokaryotic Gene Structure and Organization

Prokaryotic genomes exhibit a streamlined organization of coding and non-coding regions essential for gene expression and protein synthesis. While coding regions contain the genetic instructions for proteins or functional RNAs, non-coding regions regulate the precise transcription and translation of these genes.Coding Regions: Proteins and RNAsThe primary coding regions, known as structural genes, include sequences transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA) and ultimately translated into...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Agent-based modeling for personalized prediction of an experimental immune response to immunotherapeutic antibodies.

PloS one·2025
Same author

Brain Microtubule Electrical Oscillations-Empirical Mode Decomposition Analysis.

Cellular and molecular neurobiology·2022
Same author

Electrical recordings from dendritic spines of adult mouse hippocampus and effect of the actin cytoskeleton.

Frontiers in molecular neuroscience·2022
Same author

A vectorial tree distance measure.

Scientific reports·2022
Same author

Short-term prediction through ordinal patterns.

Royal Society open science·2021
Same author

A single nucleotide variant of human PARP1 determines response to PARP inhibitors.

NPJ precision oncology·2020
Same journal

Evolution of quantitative traits: exploring the ecological, social and genetic bases of adaptive polymorphism.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
Same journal

The male-biased sex ratio in humans and its role in the transition from promiscuity to pair bonding.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
Same journal

Quantifying the counter-intuitive effects of vaccination by coupling the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 and the evolution of human behaviors.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
Same journal

An integrative model of FGF2-induced signaling and muscle cell proliferation.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
Same journal

A hybrid reaction-diffusion and mechanical stimulus model for mandibular bone remodeling under chewing and vibratory loading.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
Same journal

Integrated tick management strategies in fragmented peridomestic environments.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Optimization of Synthetic Proteins: Identification of Interpositional Dependencies Indicating Structurally and/or Functionally Linked Residues
07:08

Optimization of Synthetic Proteins: Identification of Interpositional Dependencies Indicating Structurally and/or Functionally Linked Residues

Published on: July 14, 2015

Reversibility and efficiency in coding protein information.

Boaz Tamir1, Avner Priel

  • 1Israel Institute for Advanced Research, Rehovot, Israel. canjlm@actcom.co.il

Journal of Theoretical Biology
|September 28, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The genetic code uses fixed-length codons for energy efficiency through reversibility, not time efficiency. This suggests early life prioritized energy conservation over speed in biological processes.

More Related Videos

Residue-Specific Exchange of Proline by Proline Analogs in Fluorescent Proteins: How "Molecular Surgery" of the Backbone Affects Folding and Stability
10:31

Residue-Specific Exchange of Proline by Proline Analogs in Fluorescent Proteins: How "Molecular Surgery" of the Backbone Affects Folding and Stability

Published on: February 3, 2022

Residue-specific Incorporation of Noncanonical Amino Acids into Model Proteins Using an Escherichia coli Cell-free Transcription-translation System
11:47

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 8, 2026

Optimization of Synthetic Proteins: Identification of Interpositional Dependencies Indicating Structurally and/or Functionally Linked Residues
07:08

Optimization of Synthetic Proteins: Identification of Interpositional Dependencies Indicating Structurally and/or Functionally Linked Residues

Published on: July 14, 2015

Residue-Specific Exchange of Proline by Proline Analogs in Fluorescent Proteins: How "Molecular Surgery" of the Backbone Affects Folding and Stability
10:31

Residue-Specific Exchange of Proline by Proline Analogs in Fluorescent Proteins: How "Molecular Surgery" of the Backbone Affects Folding and Stability

Published on: February 3, 2022

Residue-specific Incorporation of Noncanonical Amino Acids into Model Proteins Using an Escherichia coli Cell-free Transcription-translation System
11:47

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:

  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics
  • Information Theory

Background:

  • The genetic code uses fixed-length codons (3 bases) to encode amino acids, despite non-uniform amino acid frequencies leading to sub-optimal efficiency.
  • The origin of this fixed-length code and its apparent inefficiencies remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose an a priori argument for the energy efficiency of fixed-length genetic codes, derived from their reversibility.
  • To explore the trade-off between time efficiency and reversibility in biological coding systems.

Main Methods:

  • Examining genetic codes against natural amino acid distributions to assess time efficiency and reversibility.
  • Investigating Zipf-type distributions and their associated prefix codes, including conditions for reversibility.
  • Proving that time-efficient codes from these distributions cannot be reversible.

Main Results:

  • Fixed-length genetic codes are reversible, favoring energy efficiency (adiabatic processes) over time efficiency.
  • A trade-off exists: codes optimized for time efficiency are not reversible, and vice-versa.
  • For many distributions, time efficiency precludes reversibility.

Conclusions:

  • Pre-biotic processes likely favored reversibility, implying that early protein synthesis was not time-efficient.
  • Energy efficiency, through reversible and adiabatic processes, was likely a primary driver in the evolution of the genetic code.
  • Early biochemical systems may have prioritized minimal energy dissipation, accepting slower processes.