DNA, the molecule that preserves the genetic material of all living things, is composed of just four chemical letters, or nucleotides. But what if we could increase more letters to this character set and generate a new kind of DNA?
That’s what a team of scientists from the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have created. They have established a new version of DNA with six letters rather than four, presenting that it can be utilized to make proteins, the building blocks of life.
This achievement, published in Nature Communications, unlocks doors to a future where custom-designed proteins and new biological applications could become a reality.
DNA, the building blocks of life, encrypts its instructions using just four nucleotides – adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). These nucleotides couple in specific formations, creating the iconic double helix. But what if this alphabet could be extended? The insinuations are captivating, extending from personalized medicine to revolutionary materials.
Life on Earth is remarkably diverse with just four nucleotides, so visualize what we could do with more, said Dong Wang, Ph.D., a professor at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the senior author of the study.
By increasing the genetic code, we could generate new molecules that have never been realized before and discover new ways of creating proteins as therapeutics.
Wang and his team utilized a synthetic DNA structure called AEGIS, which stands for Artificially Expanded Genetic Information System. AEGIS was formed by Steven A. Benner, PhD, at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, as part of a NASA-funded mission examining how life could have advanced in other planets.
Dr. Dong Wang appropriately defines that including new ‘letters’ to the genetic code increases the vocabulary of life, permitting us to transcribe more complex descriptions. His team’s innovation demonstrates that cells can willingly integrate synthetic nucleotides into the DNA formula.
AEGIS increases two new letters to the typical DNA alphabet, which comprises of adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine. These letters couple up in a precise way to create the double-helix structure of DNA, which was revealed by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953.
The new letters, Z and P, have similar shape and size as the usual ones, so they can be accepted into the DNA helix without unsettling its geometry. This indicated that the enzymes that read and duplicate DNA, such as RNA polymerase, can identify and process AEGIS DNA just like natural DNA.
The key is to mimic nature’s machinery. The scientists recognized RNA polymerase, a crucial enzyme that transforms DNA into RNA, which is then used to create proteins. They considered two artificial nucleotides that perfectly imitate the geometry of natural nucleotides. RNA polymerase willingly accepted these new additions when tested, flawlessly including them into transcription.
The scientists tested whether RNA polymerase from bacteria might transcribe AEGIS DNA into RNA and found that it could do so with great efficiency and accuracy.
This is a amazing demonstration of how strong and flexible the biological machinery is, said Wang. By mimicking the natural structure of DNA, our artificial letters can creep in and be used to create new proteins.
This discovery paves the way for stimulating opportunities. Visualize designing proteins with tailor-made instructions capable of exactly targeting tumors for cancer treatment or manufacturing bacteria to synthesize eco-friendly biofuels. The massive horizons range beyond medicine and ecological applications to materials science and possibly even artificial biology.
Of course, challenges endure. Enhancing the combination of new nucleotides, certifying their stability within the genome, and decoding the full potential of this extended code are areas for more examination. Yet, the basis for revising the genetic lexicon has been arranged.
This finding implies a momentous leap in our understanding of life’s outline. It gives the promise of piloting in a new era of biological plan, where the potentials are restricted only by our imagination.
These novel proteins could have applications in treatment, biotechnology, and bioengineering, said Wang. We are only scraping the surface of what we can do with artificial DNA.
