The Genetic Code and the Origin of Life

The Genetic Code and the Origin of Life celebrates the 50 th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix. This book combines two complementary approaches to address the question of the development of the Genetic Code. The first chapters provide general perspectives into the most important features of the evolution of life and the code. The rest of the chapters provide detailed analyses on the features and evolution of independent components of the code. Thus the book combines a general overview with detailed descriptions. This volume provides a general reference for the academic audience interested in evolution and, simultaneously, consolidates our most detailed knowledge on the biological characteristics of the components of the genetic code.

This edited text is an important volume that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix.

Combining general overview with detailed describtions, this book is suitable for all students and researchers interested in the origins and discovery of DNA.

Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext
The Genetic Code and the Origin of Life celebrates the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix. This book combines two complementary approaches to address the question of the development of the Genetic Code. The first chapters provide general perspectives into the most important features of the evolution of life and the code. The rest of the chapters provide detailed analyses on the features and evolution of independent components of the code. Thus the book combines a general overview with detailed descriptions. This volume provides a general reference for the academic audience interested in evolution and, simultaneously, consolidates our most detailed knowledge on the biological characteristics of the components of the genetic code.

Inhalt
Foreword. Preface. 1. The Early Earth; Oliver Botta and Jeffrey L. Bada. 2. Reconstructing the Universal Tree of Life; James R. Brown. 3. The Nature of the Last Common Ancestor; Luis Delaye, Arturo Becerra and Antonio Lazcano. 4. Ribozyme-Catalyzed Genetics; Donald H. Burke. 5. The Scope of Selection; Michael Yarus and Rob D. Knight. 6. The Evolutionary History of the Translation Machinery; George E. Fox and Ashwinikumar K. Naik. 7. Functional Evolution of Ribosomes; Carlos Briones and Ricardo Amils. 8. Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases as Clues to Establishment of the Genetic Code; Lluís Ribas de Pouplana and Paul Schimmel. 9. The Relation Between Function, Structure and Evolution of Elongation Factors Tu; Mathias Sprinzl. 10. Origin and Evolution of DNA and DNA Replication Machineries; Patrick Forterre, Jonathan Filée and Hannu Myllykallio. 11. Early Evolution of DNA Repair Mechanisms; Jocelyne DiRuggiero and Frank T. Robb. 12. Extant Variations in the Genetic Code; Manuel A.S. Santos and Mick F. Tuite. 13. Adaptive Evolution of the Genetic Code; Rob D. Knight, Stephen J. Freeland and Laura F. Landweber. 14. Expanding the Genetic Code in Vitro and in Vivo; Thomas J. Magliery and David R. Liu. Index.