Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin
Online ISSN : 1347-5223
Print ISSN : 0009-2363
ISSN-L : 0009-2363
Current Topics: Reviews
Rewriting the Central Dogma with Synthetic Genetic Polymers
Noriko Saito-Tarashima Akiho MuraiNoriaki Minakawa
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2022 Volume 70 Issue 5 Pages 310-315

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Abstract

DNA and RNA are ubiquitous molecules responsible for storage and transmission of genetic information and together comprise the central dogma of molecular biology. However, the recent emergence of synthetic genetic polymers is providing an opportunity to challenge the fundamental principles of life. Herein, we describe the ongoing attempts to rewrite the central dogma with 4′-thioDNA and 4′-thioRNA, which feature a sulfur instead of an oxygen atom in the furanose ring moiety. Using reconstituted Escherichia coli gene expression machinery, studies have shown that the genetic information conserved in 4′-thioDNA can be transcribed to 4′-thioRNA and eventually translated into protein, mirroring the processes that occur in nature. Such studies underscore the feasibility of controlling life by substances other than DNA and RNA.

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© 2022 The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
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