From phosphorous to arsenic: changing the classic paradigm for the structure of biomolecules.

Biomolecules

Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1052, USA.

Published: May 2012

Biomolecules are composed primarily of the elements carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and phosphorus. The structured assembly of these elements forms the basis for proteins, nucleic acids and lipids. However, the recent discovery of a new bacterium, strain GFAJ-1 of the Halomonadaceae, has shaken the classic paradigms for the architecture of life. Mounting evidence supports the claim that these bacteria substitute arsenic for phosphorus in macromolecules. Herein, we provide a brief commentary and fuel the debate related to what may be a most unusual organism.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4030840PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biom2020282DOI Listing

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