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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Prof. Stephen Freeland, University of Hawaii, Manoa
The evolution of a genetically encoded amino acid alphabet
RiboEvo Special Seminar
Life on our planet has evolved to construct itself from two distinct types of polymer - nucleic acid and protein - linked by an interface known as the genetic code. By ~3 billion years ago, evolution had standardized each biopolymer to comprise a specific repertoire, or alphabet, of monomeric building blocks: 4 nucleotides and 20 amino acids. Even the interface had arrived at a standard genetic code specifying exactly which amino acid is "meant" (encoded) by each possible 3-nucleotide genetic code-word (codon). Here I will present three aspects of research to understand how and why this fundamental evolutionary outcome emerged, with an emphasis on the amino acid alphabet.
I will begin by summarizing previous work that reveals the standard genetic code as decidedly non-random in terms of the pattern by which amino acids are assigned to codons. Through a brief discussion of possible interpretations for this finding, I will turn to current research that seeks to make sense of evolution's "choice" of amino acids from a larger pool of chemical possibilities. I will then finish by describing a new project that seeks to reconcile different lines of evidence for the origin and growth of the amino acid alphabet - including a potential future collaboration with GA Tech's research into the origin of ribosomal peptide synthesis.
For more information contact Prof. Loren Williams (404-894-9752).
