Artificial letters added to life's alphabet

[BadgerKid]

* 13:07 30 January 2008
* NewScientist.com news service
* Robert Adler

Two artificial DNA "letters" that are accurately and efficiently replicated by a natural enzyme have been created by US researchers. Adding the two artificial building blocks to the four that naturally comprise DNA could allow wildly different kinds of genetic engineering, they say.

...

More generally, Romesberg notes that DNA and RNA are now being used for hundreds of purposes: for example, to build complex shapes, build complex nanostructures, silence disease genes, or even perform calculations. A new, unnatural, base pair could multiply and diversify these applications.

The most challenging goal, says Romesberg, will be to incorporate unnatural base pairs into the genetic code of organisms. "We want to import these into a cell, study RNA trafficking, and in the longest term, expand the genetic code and 'evolvability' of an organism."

http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn13252-artificial-letters-added-to-lifes-alphabet.html

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What could possibly go wrong? ;)

[jeff30997]

1. Maybe this:

:scared:

[gtar100]

2. He's really a nice guy once you get to know him.

Just a little high strung with a bad temper sometimes.

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. Her, actually

It's no wonder she gets pissy: she is a queen and everyone keeps treating her like just some guy.

[TheMadMonk]

4. I believe one current thought has it that less than four base pairs...

...is too rigid to allow for the necessary complexity to code for a viable living organism, and that more than four is too unstable to survive mutagenic processes for any great length of time.

These extras might well prove very useful in non-biological applications, but not to expand the lexicon of the book of life.

Four gives enough complexity to make things interesting to begin with and allows just enough change to ensure interesting things keep happening, while not permitting so much change that complex organisms are essentially impossible.