Origins of the RNA Protein World – Lost in Translation

Hilldale lecture presented by John Sutherland, Group Leader in the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England.

This lecture focuses on mixed hydrogen cyanide-hydrogen sulfide chemistry that produces nucleotides and amino acids. Some degree of control is necessary for this ‘cyanosulfidic’ chemistry. Synergies in the assembly of nucleotide and amino acid building blocks into higher order structures will then be discussed as will experimental hints of a previously proposed second genetic code. The strength of the codon-anticodon binding by partial initial assignment of primary genetic code will be shown.