Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Haemoglobin Initiation in Protein Synthesis by Animal Cells and the Universality of the Genetic Code

Nature volume 219, pages 942–944 (1968)Cite this article

Abstract

THE biosynthesis of proteins involves the formation and stepwise elongation of peptide chains starting from the N-terminal amino-acid1. The order of addition of different amino-acid residues is under genetic control and is determined by the sequence of bases in messenger RNA, each amino-acid being specified by a codon consisting of three nucleotides2,3. The nature of the genetic code has been elucidated largely by using synthetic oligo and poly-nucleotides as artificial messengers, and at the present time sixty-one of the sixty-four possible triplets have been assigned to one or other of the twenty protein amino-acids. Of the remaining triplets, two seem to be involved in chain termination and the function of the third is still uncertain3.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Dintzis, H. M., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 47, 247 (1961).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Schweet, R., and Heintz, R., Ann. Rev. Biochem., 35, 723 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Singer, M. F., and Leder, P., Ann. Rev. Biochem., 35, 195 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Marshall, R. E., Caskey, C. T., and Nirenberg, M., Science, 155, 820 (1967).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Friedman, S. M., and Weinstein, I. B., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 114, 593 (1965).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Martin, R. G., and Ames, B. N., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 48, 2171 (1962).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Marcus, L., Bretthauer, R. K., Bock, R. M., and Halvorson, H. O., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 50, 782 (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Sager, R., Weinstein, I. B., and Ashkenazi, Y., Science, 140, 304 (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Maxwell, E. S., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 48, 1639 (1962).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Weinstein, I. B., Ochoa, M., and Friedman, S. M., Biochemistry, 5, 3322 (1966).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Ochoa, M., and Weinstein, I. B., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 52, 470 (1964).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Nathans, D., Notani, G., Schwartz, J. H., and Zinder, N. D., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 48, 1424 (1962).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Nathans, D., Oeschger, M. P., Eggen, K., and Shimura, Y., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 56, 1844 (1966).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ohtaka, Y., and Spiegelman, S., Science, 142, 493 (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Nathans, D., J. Mol. Biol., 13, 521 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Viñuela, E., Algranati, I. D., and Ochoa, S., Europ. J. Biochem., 1, 3 (1967).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Shaeffer, J., Favelukes, G., and Schweet, R., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 80, 247 (1964).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Drach, J. C., and Lingrel, J. B., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 129, 178 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Capecchi, M. R., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 55, 1517 (1966).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Webster, R. E., Engelhardt, D. L., and Zinder, N. D., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 55, 155 (1966).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Rahamimoff, H., and Arnstein, H. R. V., Abstract C-133, Seventh Intern. Cong. Biochem., Tokyo, (1967).

  22. Naughton, M. A., and Dintzis, H. M., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 48, 1822 (1962).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Diamond, J. M., and Braunitzer, G., Nature, 194, 1287 (1962).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Braunitzer, G., Best, J. S., Flamm, U., and Schrank, B., Hoppe-Seyl. Z., 347, 207 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Gould, H. J., Arnstein, H. R. V., and Cox, R. A., J. Mol. Biol., 15, 600 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Arnstein, H. R. V., Cox, R. A., and Hunt, J. A., Biochem. J., 92, 648 (1964).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Arnstein, H. R. V., Cox, R. A., Gould, H., and Potter, H., Biochem. J., 96, 500 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Warner, J. R., Knopf, P. M., and Rich, A., Proc. US Nat. Acad. Sci., 49, 122 (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Haenni, A.-L., and Chapeville, F., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 114, 135 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Wettstein, F. O., Staehelin, T., and Noll, H., Nature, 197, 430 (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Lin, S.-Y., Mosteller, R. D., and Hardesty, B., J. Mol. Biol., 21, 51 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Rich, A., Eikenberry, E. F., and Malkin, L. I., Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol., 31, 303 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Arnstein, H. R. V., in Regulation of Nucleic Acid and Protein Biosynthesis (edit. by Koningsberger, V. V., and Bosch, L.), 194 (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1967).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Research Group on Control of Protein Biosynthesis in Animal Cells, Department of Biochemistry, King's College, University of London,

    H. R. V. ARNSTEIN & HANNAH RAHAMIMOFF

Authors
  1. H. R. V. ARNSTEIN
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. HANNAH RAHAMIMOFF
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

ARNSTEIN, H., RAHAMIMOFF, H. Haemoglobin Initiation in Protein Synthesis by Animal Cells and the Universality of the Genetic Code. Nature 219, 942–944 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/219942a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/219942a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing