title: On the origin of the transfer RNA molecule.
abstract: Data and arguments are given in favour of the hypothesis that the primitive tRNA molecule may have originated from a direct duplication event involving one of the two halves of the tRNA molecule. It seems that a molecule capable of assuming a hairpin structure was involved as a precursor in this duplication. The two halves of the present tRNAs could, therefore, be considered as paralogous.
authors.affiliation: International Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, CNR, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Giulio
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000235:genetics*; D017385:Sequence Homology
chemical_list: D012343:RNA, Transfer