Unnatural Dilemma: Synthetic Biology, DNA, and Diagnostics
| Autor: | Alexander J Carterson |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2013 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Clinical Chemistry. 59:714-715 |
| ISSN: | 1530-8561 0009-9147 |
| DOI: | 10.1373/clinchem.2013.204131 |
| Popis: | If Dr. Frankenstein were alive, he surely would be proud of those scientists trying to create “Frankenstein DNA” with unnatural bases to help understand the fundamentals of DNA. A recent news feature in Nature has outlined their attempts (1). The article opens with a comment by Steven Benner on the structure of DNA, “The first thing you realize is that it is a stupid design.” That is a powerful statement about a molecule that has survived billions of years of self-propagating, mutating all along in creating the vast diversity of life on Earth. He may be right. DNA doesn't look like it's up to the challenge: a negatively charged backbone (potentially making the strands separate) and bases with hydrogen bonds (weak and not very sturdy). In their quest to create artificial bases and a backbone to “alter” DNA and “push the limits” of biological chemistry, however, scientists working in this area have been thwarted at almost every turn. The synthesis of artificial DNA is part … |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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