The mechanism and evolution of the recognition scheme between key components of the translation system, that is, tRNAs, synthetases, and elongation factors, are fundamental issues in understanding the translation of genetic information into proteins. Statistical analysis of bacterial tRNA sequences reveals that for six amino acids, a string of 10 nucleotides preceding the tRNA 3' end carries cognate coding triplets to nearly full extent. The triplets conserved in positions 63-67 are implicated in the recognition by the elongation factor EF-Tu, and those conserved in positions 68-72, in the identification of cognate tRNAs, and their derived minihelices by class IIa synthetases. These coding triplets are suggested to have primordial origin, being engaged in aminoacylation of prebiotic tRNAs and in the establishment of the canonical codon set.
Keywords: aminoacylation; genetic code; origin of life; synthetase; tRNA; translation.
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