Eschenmoser | The Culture of Biochemistry

Article reference: Shen, Helen. 2012. “Enzymes grow artificial DNA” Accessed March 31, 2013. http://www.nature.com/news/enzymes-grow-artificial-dna-1.10487#/b1

DNA, commonly known as the blueprint of life, is the naturally occurring hereditary material in humans and almost all organisms; or so we thought. Scientists have developed lab made alternatives of DNA. These variants act much like DNA in which these mechanisms allow it to store and transfer hereditary information. Then again why should these synthetic strands be crafted? According to Philipp Holliger, a synthetic biologist at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, he states that these lab assembled DNA backbones can aid in the development of new drugs and nanotechnologies.

The proposition.

The construction of DNA composes of nucleic acid bases- A, C, G and T assembled on a phosphate and sugar deoxyribose backbone. These replicated polymers known as XNA’s carry the same lettered sequencing except for its backbone which is made of different sugars from the novel DNA molecules. Another biochemist, Gerald Joyce explained that while this task has been attempted before, they were unable to make additional copies these already generated XNA strands. However, recent developments have supplied a way, and a considerable one at that, says Eric Kool, a chemist at Stanford University in California. As a result, the successive DNA to XNA transmission have permitted researches to select the XNA’s that are attached to choice target proteins from a vast number of samples.

Innovation.

With the progression of such research, similar undertakings were undergone. Steven Banner, a biochemist at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution in Florida, together with his associates have simulated polymers with additional artificial genetic lettering on an original DNA backbone. This synthetic sequencing can merge with the modified XNA backbone creating a structure resistant to chemical degradation.

The next step.

Upon further exploration, Biotechnologists may have discovered tools such as polymers that can bind and inhibit proteins, in these evolvable XNA’s. One such example includes strains involved in macular degeneration, a disease which affects older adults resulting in loss of vision in the center of the macula due to retinal damage.

Historical ingenuity put to use.

DNA and RNA, as simple as they may seem to be comprised of, are difficult to produce. Many researchers believe that another simpler molecule was derived first. The TNA³ molecule was developed by Albert Eschenmoser in the year 2000. This strand was in essence a XNA together with a α-l-threofuranosyl nucleic acid backbone and 1 of the 6 polymers used in the study. This experiment exhibited that the TNA³could conform to the DNA by twisting into a double-helix spiral. Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy, a leading synthetic organic chemist, noted that the enzymes produced by Holliger advanced past research “by leaps and bounds”. He stated that these developed enzymes confirm that DNA can indeed trade information efficiently with TNA and additional polymers apart from RNA.

Although the XNA’s are dependent on DNA derived enzymes to replicate, researchers can presently duplicate artificial genes resistant to biodegradation.

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