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Evolution of the genetic code through progressive symmetry breaking.

Reijer Lenstra1

  • 1Route Cantonale 103, Saint Sulpice VD, Switzerland.

Journal of Theoretical Biology
|January 18, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The evolution of the genetic code involved breaking symmetries in early RNA world systems, leading to increased specificity in protein synthesis machinery and the eventual emergence of the standard genetic code.

Keywords:
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetaseCodon graphHamming distanceRibosomeShannon entropy

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Area of Science:

  • Origin of Life
  • Molecular Evolution
  • Genetics

Background:

  • The early genetic code likely originated in an RNA world, with limited specificity in protein synthesis.
  • Synonymous codons were initially equivalent, lacking distinct information due to a broad symmetry group.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To model the stepwise evolution of the genetic code from an undifferentiated state to the modern specific code.
  • To understand how increasing specificity in the protein synthesis machinery drove this evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Symmetry breaking formalism to divide codons into progressively smaller blocks.
  • Modeling the coevolution of ribosomes, transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs).

Main Results:

  • The genetic code evolved in five steps, doubling codon blocks at each stage.
  • The process involved ribosomes breaking base-order symmetries and then base-pairing rule symmetries.
  • Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases evolved to assign specific amino acids to tRNA blocks, reducing ambiguity.

Conclusions:

  • Symmetry breaking, driven by selection for more specific and efficient proteins, explains the evolution of the standard genetic code.
  • The model traces the gradual increase in specificity from early RNA world to modern protein synthesis.
  • This process navigated a vast space of possible genetic codes to arrive at the current one.