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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
All life on Earth runs on a four-letter genetic code — but UC San Diego researchers just showed that a key cellular enzyme can accurately read and copy an eight-letter version. Using cryo-electron microscopy, the team revealed that RNA polymerase processes synthetic DNA letters much like natural ones. The breakthrough opens the door to engineered biological systems with entirely new capabilities, from novel diagnostics to next-gen therapeutics.
All known life on Earth runs on the same four-letter genetic alphabet — A, T, C, and G. But researchers at UC San Diego have now demonstrated that RNA polymerase, the enzyme that reads DNA and kick-starts gene expression, can accurately transcribe an expanded, eight-letter genetic code. The findings, published in Nature Communications and PNAS, suggest that cells don't need entirely new molecular machinery to handle synthetic genetic information — their existing tools can do the job.
Using high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (capable of imaging structures smaller than the width of a single atom), the team captured detailed snapshots of RNA polymerase from E. coli recognizing and incorporating synthetic base pairs. The enzyme used the same biochemical signals it relies on for natural DNA — and in a related study, it even managed to read synthetic base pairs that lack the hydrogen bonds typically required to hold DNA together.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: This research lays a molecular foundation for synthetic biology's next frontier — designing biological systems that go beyond nature's limits, with real-world potential in cancer detection, drug development, and beyond.
