The non-universality of the genetic code: the universal ancestor was a progenote

Journal of Theoretical Biology
M Di Giulio

Abstract

The coevolution theory of genetic code origin (Wong, J.T. 1975, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. U.S.A.72, 1909-1912) is assumed here to be substantially correct. This theory is based on the strict parallelism of the biosynthetic relationships between amino acids and the organization of the genetic code and postulates that these relationships were mediated by tRNA-like molecules on which the biosynthetic transformations between precursor and product amino acids took place. These transformations underlay the mechanism that gave rise to genetic code organization. One of the pathways which represents these transformations found in current organisms, and which are thus probably molecular fossils, is the Met-tRNA(fMet)-->fMet-tRNA(fMet)pathway. This pathway is present only in the Bacteria domain. This along with other observations and arguments leads us to believe that this pathway is a clear violation of the universality of the genetic code. Furthermore, the presence of this pathway only in the Bacteria domain seems to imply that the translation apparatus was still rapidly evolving when this pathway was fixed. This, in turn, appears to imply that the last universal common ancestor was a progenote. Finally, the implications that the finding of...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jul 27, 2010·Journal of Theoretical Biology·Massimo Di Giulio
Nov 6, 2004·Bio Systems·Hani GoodarziNoorossadat Torabi
Nov 3, 2006·Journal of Theoretical Biology·Marco Archetti, Massimo Di Giulio
Mar 1, 2003·Microbiological Research·Jack Thomas Trevors
Dec 24, 2014·Journal of Molecular Evolution·Massimo Di Giulio
Mar 11, 2020·Microbial Biotechnology·Antoine DanchinConghui You
Jul 5, 2017·Journal of Genetics·Massimo Di Giulio
Feb 6, 2021·Journal of Theoretical Biology·Massimo Di Giulio

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