Beyond A, C, G and T: augmenting nature’s alphabet

TL;DR: A unique case where AEGIS DNA has been used to execute a systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) experiment, designed to create AEGis oligonucleotides that bind to a line of breast cancer cells.

TL;DR: This study studies the sequence dependence of enzymatic amplification to yield high-density functionalized DNA (fDNA) from modified dNTPs, and of fDNA templates, and found that GC-rich sequences are amplified with decreased efficiency as compared to AT-rich ones.

TL;DR: An unnatural base Pair system in which DNA containing an unnatural base pair can be amplified and function as a template for the site-specific incorporation of base analog substrates into RNA via transcription is presented.

TL;DR: From this perspective, life’s origin is seen as a seamless transition from self-ordering chemical reactions to self-sustaining chemical systems that are capable of Darwinian evolution.

TL;DR: A new Watson-Crick base pair, with a hydrogen bonding pattern different from that in the A·T and G·C base pairs, is incorporated into duplex DNA and RNA byDNA and RNA polymerases and expands the genetic alphabet from 4 to 6 letters.

TL;DR: A program called MSMS is shown to be fast and reliable in computing molecular surfaces, which relies on the use of the reduced surface that is briefly defined here and from which the solvent-accessible and solvent-excluded surfaces are computed.

TL;DR: D-iso-G was found at the correct position in the product oligonucleotide by a “nearest-neighbor” analysis9 and by the “minus” sequencing method of Sanger to determine the specificity with which the new bases pair.

TL;DR: The important findings and major conclusions that have emerged regarding translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) in eukaryotes are highlighted.