Imprints of the genetic code in the ribosome
Open accessAbstract
The establishment of the genetic code remains elusive nearly five decades after the code was elucidated. The stereochemical hypothesis postulates that the code developed from interactions between nucleotides and amino acids, yet supporting evidence in a biological context is lacking. We show here that anticodons are selectively enriched near their respective amino acids in the ribosome, and that such enrichment is significantly correlated with the canonical code over random codes. Ribosomal anticodon-amino acid enrichment further reveals that specific codons were reassigned during code evolution, and that the code evolved through a two-stage transition from ancient amino acids without anticodon interaction to newer additions with anticodon interaction. The ribosome thus serves as a molecular fossil, preserving biological evidence that anticodon-amino acid interactions shaped the evolution of the genetic code.
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Ribosomal anticodon-amino acid enrichment reveals that specific codons were reassigned during code evolution.
“Ribosomal anticodon-amino acid enrichment reveals that specific codons were reassigned during code evolution.”
From The Origin of Prebiotic Information System in the Peptide/RNA World: A Simulation Model of the Evolution of Translation and the Genetic Code (2019) · cites this paper as [109]
Anticodons are selectively enriched near their respective amino acids in the ribosomal structure and such enrichment is correlated with the universal genetic code.
“Other experiments suggest that anticodons are selectively enriched near their respective amino acids in the ribosomal structure and such enrichment is correlated with the universal genetic code [109].”
From The Origin of Prebiotic Information System in the Peptide/RNA World: A Simulation Model of the Evolution of Translation and the Genetic Code (2019) · cites this paper as [109]
Anticodon-amino acid interactions shaped the evolution of the genetic code.
“These authors concluded that anticodon-amino acid interactions shaped the evolution of the genetic code.”
From The Origin of Prebiotic Information System in the Peptide/RNA World: A Simulation Model of the Evolution of Translation and the Genetic Code (2019) · cites this paper as [109]
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“Whether codons or anticodons played the role in the origin of the genetic code has remainedelusive (30,31).”
BackgroundRNA–Amino Acid Binding: A Stereochemical Era for the Genetic Code
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Origin and Evolution of the Universal Genetic Code
Koonin, E. V., & Novozhilov, A. S. (2017) · Annual Review of Genetics · doi:10.1146/annurev-genet-120116-024713 · Cited by 200 · see citing works
Chatterjee, S., & Yadav, S. (2019) · Life · doi:10.3390/life9010025 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
“Other experiments suggest that anticodons are selectively enriched near their respective amino acids in the ribosomal structure and such enrichment is correlated with the universal genetic code [109].”
Background
- Authors
- Johnson, D. B. F., & Wang, L.
- Affiliations
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies (US)
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2010-04-19
- Volume
- 107
- Issue
- 18
- Pages
- 8298-8303
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC2889578
- OpenAlex
- W2028550959
- Cited by
- 83
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 1.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Civil Aviation University of China
- National Institutes of Health (DP2OD004744)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Keywords
- genetic code evolution, ribosome, codon reassignment, amino acid addition
- MeSH terms
- Amino Acids, Genetic Code, Models, Molecular, Molecular Conformation, Ribosomes, Evolution, Molecular
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