title: On the evolution of the standard amino-acid alphabet.
abstract: Although one standard amino-acid 'alphabet' is used by most organisms on Earth, the evolutionary cause(s) and significance of this alphabet remain elusive. Fresh insights into the origin of the alphabet are now emerging from disciplines as diverse as astrobiology, biochemical engineering and bioinformatics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Freeland
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D019295:Computational Biology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D015202:Protein Engineering
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids