Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2003 Dec;7(6):727-33.
doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2003.10.011.

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

Allison A Henry  1 , Floyd E Romesberg
Affiliations
Review

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

Allison A Henry et al. Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2003 Dec.

Abstract

Efforts to expand the genetic alphabet are predicated upon a stable and replicable third base pair. Recent progress has resulted in the development of several candidates that are both stable in duplex DNA and replicated by DNA polymerases with various degrees of efficiency and fidelity. The candidate base pairs draw upon unnatural hydrogen-bonding topologies as well as upon shape complementarity and hydrophobic forces. This review provides a critical comparison of the third base pair candidates and discusses the further work required to expand the genetic alphabet.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources