DNA Has a Four-Letter Alphabet. Scientists Just Expanded It to Eight

Researchers at UC San Diego found that E. coli bacterial RNA polymerase can accurately transcribe DNA with two synthetic base pairs, expanding the alphabet from four letters to eight. The process structure was captured using cryo-electron microscopy at sub-atomic resolution.

• E. coli RNA polymerase recognizes four additional synthetic letters
• Structural images obtained via cryo-electron microscopy
• Synthetic pairs without hydrogen bonds also recognized by the enzyme
• Work supported by NIH and NSF grants, published in Nature Communications