Translation of 'Systematization of Codons in the Genetic Code [I]' by Yu. B. Rumer (1966)

The Combinatorial Fusion Cascade to Generate the Standard Genetic Code

Combinatorial fusion cascade was proposed as a transition stage between prebiotic chemistry and early forms of life. The combinatorial fusion cascade consists of three stages: eight initial complimentary pairs of amino acids, four protocodes, and the standard genetic code. The initial complimentary pairs and the protocodes are divided into dominant and recessive entities. The transitions between these stages obey the same combinatorial fusion rules for all amino acids. The combinatorial fusion cascade mathematically describes the codon assignments in the standard genetic code. It explains the availability of amino acids with the even and odd numbers of codons, the appearance of stop codons, inclusion of novel canonical amino acids, exceptional high numbers of codons for amino acids arginine, leucine, and serine, and the temporal order of amino acid inclusion into the genetic code. The temporal order of amino acids within the cascade is congruent with the consensus temporal order previously derived from the similarities between the available hypotheses. The control over the combinatorial fusion cascades would open the road for a novel technology to develop artificial microorganisms.

Yury Borisovich Rumer and his 'biological papers' on the genetic code

Yury Borisovich Rumer was one of the most important theoretical physicists of the former Soviet Union in the early 1930s. However, he also wrote a few 'biological papers' on the standard genetic code after he read Crick's and Nirenberg's pioneering papers on the topic. Rumer's articles on the 'Systematization of Codons in the Genetic Code' (Rumer 1966 Doklady Akademii nauk SSSR 167, 1393-1394); Rumer 1968 Doklady Akademii nauk SSSR 183, 225-226; Rumer 1969 Doklady Akademii nauk SSSR 187, 937-938, where he suggested the idea of partitioning codons depending on their redundancy-the first mention of symmetry in the genetic code-were published in Russian only. Due to their importance and their frequent citation, we here present translations of these articles into English in order to make them accessible to a broader community.

DNA as information: at the crossroads between biology, mathematics, physics and chemistry

On the one hand, biology, chemistry and also physics tell us how the process of translating the genetic information into life could possibly work, but we are still very far from a complete understanding of this process. On the other hand, mathematics and statistics give us methods to describe such natural systems-or parts of them-within a theoretical framework. Also, they provide us with hints and predictions that can be tested at the experimental level. Furthermore, there are peculiar aspects of the management of genetic information that are intimately related to information theory and communication theory. This theme issue is aimed at fostering the discussion on the problem of genetic coding and information through the presentation of different innovative points of view. The aim of the editors is to stimulate discussions and scientific exchange that will lead to new research on why and how life can exist from the point of view of the coding and decoding of genetic information. The present introduction represents the point of view of the editors on the main aspects that could be the subject of future scientific debate.