1. Researchers have developed a synthetic form of DNA with 6 different bases A,
ID: 190217 • Letter: 1
Question
1. Researchers have developed a synthetic form of DNA with 6 different bases A, T, C, G, and two additional novel bases X and Y. These novel bases form stable X-Y pairs during in vitro DNA replication, and are not excised by DNA repair pathways. The resulting bacterium is the first organism to stably propagate an expanded range of DNA bases (Malyshev, et al. Nature, doi: 10:1038/nature13314).
Now that we know that a DNA molecule with six different nucleotides is possible, provide a brief well reasoned discussion of what the genetic code might look like for such an organism if it had evolved naturally.
Explanation / Answer
Since these 6 bases had to code for 20 amino acids , therefore a combination of 6 nucleotides in group of one will means only 6 amino acids can be coded. the next possible combination will have the 6 nucleotides in groups of 2. This will generated enough combinateion (i.e., 64) to code for all the amino acids. THus such an organism will have its amino acid by two lettered genetic code.
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