Origin of the Genetic Code: a Testable Hypothesis Based on TRNA Structure, Sequence, and Kinetic Proofreading

Overview

Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Specialty Science

Date 1978 Sep 1

PMID 279919

Citations 49

Authors

J J Hopfield

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We hypothesize that the origin of the genetic code is associated with the structure of the tRNA that existed in primal cells. The sequences of modern tRNA contain correlations which can be understood as "fossil" evidence of the secondary structure of primal tRNA. Kinetic proofreading through diffusion can amplify a low level of intrinsic selectivity of tRNA for its amino acid. Experimental tests of the theory are suggested.

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