Genetic code origins: tRNAs older than their synthetases?
Open Access
- 15 September 1998
- journal article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Vol. 95 (19) , 11295-11300
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.95.19.11295
Abstract
We present a phylogenetic analysis to determine whether a given tRNA molecule was established in evolution before its cognate aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. The earlier appearance of tRNA versus their metabolically related enzymes is a prediction of the RNA world theory, but the available synthetase and tRNA sequences previously had not allowed a formal comparison of their relative time of appearance. Using data recently obtained from the emerging genome projects, our analysis points to the extant forms of lysyl-tRNA synthetase being preceded in evolution by the establishment of the identity of lysine tRNA.Keywords
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