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The origin and evolution of the genetic code

P Béland1, T F Allen

  • 1St Lawrence National Institute of Ecotoxicology, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Journal of Theoretical Biology
|October 21, 1994
PubMed
Summary
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A primitive genetic code with 20 words, where DNA strands are read in both directions, explains the 20 amino acids. This contrasts with the modern 64-word code, suggesting selection shaped its evolution.

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Bioinformatics

Background:

  • The modern genetic code utilizes 64 codons to specify 20 amino acids and stop signals.
  • Understanding the evolutionary origins of the genetic code is crucial for deciphering fundamental biological processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a primitive genetic code model that explains the origin of the 20 amino acids.
  • To investigate the relationship between primitive and modern genetic codes and their evolutionary pressures.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of codon usage and amino acid assignments in primitive versus modern genetic codes.
  • Algebraic modeling of codon complements and their implications for sequence reading.

Main Results:

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  • A primitive code with 20 words, reading both DNA strands in either direction, naturally accounts for 20 amino acids.
  • The algebra of complements in the primitive code enforces codon synonymy, reducing complexity.
  • Modern genetic code's redundancy, particularly at the third base, is attributed to selection, not algebraic forcing.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed primitive code offers a parsimonious explanation for the 20 amino acid repertoire.
  • The orthogonality between primitive and modern codes highlights distinct evolutionary trajectories.
  • Hairpin DNA/RNA structures could facilitate palindromic protein coding, supporting bidirectional reading.