Adaptor hypothesis

Francis Crick's handwritten paper, "On Degenerate Templates and the Adaptor Hypothesis: A Note for the RNA Tie Club," privately circulated to members of the RNA Tie Club January 1955.

The adaptor hypothesis is a theoretical scheme in molecular biology to explain how information encoded in the nucleic acid sequences of messenger RNA (mRNA) is used to specify the amino acids that make up proteins during the process of translation. It was formulated by Francis Crick in 1955 in an informal publication of the RNA Tie Club, and later elaborated in 1957 along with the central dogma of molecular biology and the sequence hypothesis. It was formally published as an article "On protein synthesis" in 1958. The name "adaptor hypothesis" was given by Sydney Brenner.

Crick postulated that there must exist a small molecule to precisely recognise and bind the mRNA sequences while amino acids are being synthesised. The hypothetical adaptor molecule was later established to be a hitherto unknown nucleic acid, transfer RNA (tRNA).


© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search