What we are dealing with are synthetic parts (from other proteins, genes, other biological entities) and chemical creation on the other side. But, this is pretty clear on one of the subjects. Synthetic genetic polymers capable of heredity and evolution Science (New York, N.Y.) Author Manuscript Europe PMC Funders Synthetic genetic polymers capable of heredity and evolution Abstract Genetic information storage and processing rely on just two polymers, DNA and RNA. Whether their role reflects evolutionary history or fundamental functional constraints is unknown. Using polymerase evolution and design, we show that genetic information can be stored in and recovered from six alternative genetic polymers (XNAs) based on simple nucleic acid architectures not found in nature. We also select XNA aptamers, which bind their targets with high affinity and specificity, demonstrating that beyond heredity, specific XNAs have the capacity for Darwinian evolution and for folding into defined structures. Thus, heredity and evolution, two hallmarks of life, are not limited to DNA and RNA but are likely to be emergent properties of polymers capable of information storage. ..A more thorough examination of candidate genetic polymers’ potential for information storage, propagation and evolution requires a system for replication which would allow a systematic exploration of the informational, evolutionary and functional potential of synthetic genetic polymers and open up applications ranging from biotechnology ........ ...We chose six different XNAs in which the canonical ribofuranose ring of DNA and RNA is replaced by five- or six-membered congeners comprising HNA (1,5 anhydrohexitol nucleic acids), CeNA (cyclohexenyl nucleic acids), LNA (2′-O,4′-C-methylene-β-D-ribonucleic acids; locked nucleic acids), ANA (arabinonucleic acids), FANA (2′-fluoro-arabinonucleic acid) and TNA (α-L-threofuranosyl nucleic acids.... One Sentence Summary ..........The capacity of synthetic polymers for heredity and evolution shows that DNA and RNA are not unique as genetic materials.................. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3362463/?report=reader#!po=82.5000
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 20:28:25 +0000