Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Tokushima University, Shomachi 1-78-1, Tokushima, 770-8505, Japan.
J Am Chem Soc. 2020 Oct 14;142(41):17255-17259. doi: 10.1021/jacs.0c07145. Epub 2020 Oct 5.
DNA and RNA nucleotides are ubiquitous molecules that store and transmit genetic information. The emergence of synthetic elements that fulfill the function of DNA and RNA provides an alternative gene expression system. Herein, we demonstrate the gene expression of 4'-thioguanine DNA (dG DNA) via 4'-thiocytosine RNA (dC RNA) to give green fluorescent protein (GFPuv) in a single test tube. In replication, transcription, and translation, DNA/RNA polymerases and () ribosome can tolerate the replacement of O4' with S4' in the nucleotide, despite the fact that sulfur has a larger atomic radius than oxygen. Additionally, dG DNA and dC RNA acted as alternative genetic polymers to natural DNA and RNA for protein synthesis in artificial cells comprising a reconstituted gene expression machinery. This work involved simple experiments that are widely used in molecular biology, but which underscore the feasibility of life control by substances other than DNA/RNA nucleotides.
DNA 和 RNA 核苷酸是普遍存在的分子，它们储存和传递遗传信息。合成元件的出现，这些元件具有 DNA 和 RNA 的功能，为基因表达系统提供了一种替代方案。在这里，我们通过 4'-硫代胞嘧啶 RNA (dC RNA) 展示了 4'-硫代鸟嘌呤 DNA (dG DNA) 的基因表达，从而在单个试管中产生绿色荧光蛋白 (GFPuv)。在复制、转录和翻译过程中，DNA/RNA 聚合酶和 ()核糖体可以容忍核苷酸中 O4'被 S4'取代，尽管硫的原子半径比氧大。此外，dG DNA 和 dC RNA 可以作为天然 DNA 和 RNA 的替代遗传聚合物，用于包含重组基因表达机制的人工细胞中的蛋白质合成。这项工作涉及到在分子生物学中广泛使用的简单实验，但强调了通过非 DNA/RNA 核苷酸物质控制生命的可行性。
