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Genetic code limit organisms — do they exist?

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Summary

The concept of genetic code limit organisms is introduced. Its DNA composition suggestsTetrahymena pyriformis syngen 1 to be a low G + C coding limit organism. One of the predictions ofTetrahymena's being a coding limit organism—i.e. a particular striking dissimilarity in the composition of the two strands of its DNA duplexes—has been tested experimentally and confirmed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology Burrill Hall, University of Illinois, 61801, Urbana, Illinois, USA

    Carl R. Woese & Michael A. Bleyman

  2. Biology Department, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Michael A. Bleyman

Authors
  1. Carl R. Woese
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  2. Michael A. Bleyman
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Woese, C.R., Bleyman, M.A. Genetic code limit organisms — do they exist?. J Mol Evol 1, 223–229 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01660241

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01660241

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