科学家成功让8个DNA字母在生物系统中运作

美国加州大学圣迭戈分校的研究人员取得突破性进展，证明RNA聚合酶能够准确读取和转录包含8个遗传字母的扩展遗传字母表，相比自然界所有已知生物使用的4个字母增加了一倍1。这项由王栋教授领导的研究成果发表于《自然通讯》，为构建具有全新生物功能的遗传系统奠定了基础1。

研究团队利用冷冻电子显微镜观察发现，RNA聚合酶处理合成DNA字母的方式与识别自然DNA字母相同，均采用相同的生化和结构信号进行识别1。先前的研究已经成功利用这种扩展遗传字母表创建了能够识别肝癌细胞的合成DNA分子1，展示了该技术在医学应用中的潜力。

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have demonstrated that RNA polymerase can accurately read and transcribe an expanded genetic alphabet containing eight letters—double the four letters found in all known organisms in nature 1. Using cryo-electron microscopy, the team observed that RNA polymerase processes synthetic DNA letters in a manner similar to how it handles natural DNA letters, revealing that the enzyme recognizes synthetic bases through the same biochemical and structural signals it uses for natural base pairs 1.

The findings, reported in Nature Communications on September 2, 2026, under the leadership of Professor Dong Wang, establish a crucial foundation for constructing expanded genetic systems with entirely new biological functions 1. A related study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on August 12, 2026, builds on this work 1. Prior research conducted with this expanded genetic alphabet has already enabled the creation of synthetic DNA molecules capable of identifying liver cancer cells 1.