New letters added to genetic alphabet

[Ichinisan]

Oh boy. Not "discovered." Added.

http://slashdot.org/story/296601

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Quanta Magazine:

[A]fter decades of work, [organic chemist Steven] Benner's team has synthesized artificially enhanced DNA that functions much like ordinary DNA, if not better. In two papers published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society last month, the researchers have shown that two synthetic nucleotides called P and Z fit seamlessly into DNA's helical structure, maintaining the natural shape of DNA. Moreover, DNA sequences incorporating these letters can evolve just like traditional DNA, a first for an expanded genetic alphabet.​

In fact, the article continues, these new nucleotides can actually outperform their natural counterparts: "When challenged to evolve a segment that selectively binds to cancer cells, DNA sequences using P and Z did better than those without."

 

[Brainonska511]

Original papers:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25961938
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25966323

You could easily make an argument that there were already more than 4 bases. You also have U for RNA (instead of T). And DNA and RNA can also be modified, such as with methylation, which serves as an additional and important regulatory mechanism.

 

[IronWing]

I, for one, welcome our new P and Z overlords. This is better than IP6.

 

[brainhulk]

Couldn't they add more vowels, ffs

 

[mrjminer]

I, for one, welcome our new genetically-enhanced human overlords.

 

[Ichinisan]

Couldn't they add more vowels, ffs

This.

 

[destrekor]

This is how we reach Z Nation, eh? :hmm:

 

[lupi]

Don't worry, Alice will save us.

 

[Ichinisan]

This is how we reach Z Nation, eh? :hmm:

:awe:

This is how it happens!

Foolish scientists -- you've killed us all!