| man-made artificial DNA - XNA Apr 21st 2012, 11:38 Quote:
Artificial nucleic acid molecules can work the same as DNA
The XNA molecules aren't biodegradable and could find use in medical and biotech arenas where DNA isn't a viable option.
By Charles Q. Choi, InnovationNewsDailyThu, Apr 19 2012 at 4:26 PM EST
Synthetic molecules resembling DNA can function and evolve just like the real thing, its developers say.
These new, unnatural building blocks could be more useful than DNA or its closely related biomolecule, RNA, in a variety of medical and biotechnology applications, researchers added. Other investigators noted they could even lead to novel forms of life.
DNA is essentially made of four different kinds of molecules known as nucleic acids, commonly referred to by their initials, A, G, C and T. These run along a backbone made of sugars and phosphate groups.
Scientists call their artificial nucleic-acidlike molecules XNA, in which the natural sugar component has been replaced by one of six alternative organic compounds. These XNA molecules all can bind to DNA and RNA.
The researchers also have developed enzymes that can synthesize XNA from a DNA template, plus others that can "reverse transcribe" XNA back into DNA. This means they can store and copy data just as DNA can — the basis of heredity for all life on Earth.
The investigators subjected an XNA molecule to artificial natural selection in the lab by introducing mutations into its genetic code. By allowing the different versions of the molecule to compete against each other for binding to another molecule, the team ended up with a shape that bound tightly and specifically to the target – just as one would expect of DNA under the same conditions. This makes XNA the only known molecules other than DNA and RNA capable of Darwinian evolution.
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| Hmmmm... http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/resear...he-same-as-dna | |
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