Quadruplet codons: One small step for a ribosome, one giant leap for proteins

摘要

The development of ribosomes that can read quadruplet codons could trigger a giant leap in the complexity of protein sequences. Although the practical exploration of sequence space is still limited to an infinitesimal fraction of the total volume, a full quadruplet genetic code would essentially double the information-theoretic content of proteins. Analogous studies modifying the alphabet size of ribozymes suggest that increasing the information-theoretic content of the genetic code could permit a corresponding increase in functionality. Recent work has overcome major inefficiencies in the translation of programmable quadruplet codons, paving the way for studies on fundamental questions about the origin of the genetic code and the characteristics of alternate protein “universes”.