Expanding DNA’s alphabet lets cells produce novel proteins

AP ^ | 11/28/17 | Lauran Neergaard

[Simon Green]

WASHINGTON (AP)

[KC_Lion]

There is a fine joke in here somewhere I just need to find it.

[Billthedrill]

There is a rheumatoid arthritis medicine that is essentially an altered human cytokine, a tumor necrosis factor analog, that is very difficult and expensive to produce through mammalian cells, but that's the only way the process science works at the moment. This would be a perfect application.

Obviously there's more to producing a protein than just the sequencing - it has to fold or be folded right. But this is a start.

[4Liberty]

Bump!

[exDemMom]

They also had to make transfer RNAs that would recognize the artificial DNA letters. And enzymes that would link the transfer RNAs with the artificial amino acids.

There is a lot more to this than the article mentions.

[Reeses]

wiki:The Africanized honey bee was first introduced to Brazil in the 1950s in an effort to increase honey production, but in 1957, 26 swarms accidentally escaped quarantine. Since then, the species has spread throughout South America and arrived in North America in 1985.

Just what we need: Californicated E. Coli.

[sparklite2]

I saw this news elsewhere under a headline saying we were closer to creating life. Didn’t have the cajones to post it on FR. LOL

[exDemMom]

Just as well you didn’t post that. We’re not about to create life. We might create new drugs, though.

[Svartalfiar]

A team at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, expanded the genetic alphabet, creating two artificial DNA “letters” called X and Y.

...Why? Out of the 22 letters in the alphabet, you pick the exact two that are already used for chromosomes. Now the LGBTTQRBBQWTFYUMHHIAAA people are just going to be even more confused. (And claim it's just DNA!)

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from 11/29/2017. Thanks Simon Green.

[SunkenCiv]

• New Letters Added to the Genetic Alphabet