On the classes of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and the error minimization in the genetic code.

As a consequence of the existence of two classes of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs), we defined two types of mutations: g (mutations that do not change the class of the involved amino acids) and u (those which change the class). We have found that the mean chemical distance resulting from g mutations is smaller than that corresponding to u mutations, indicating that g mutations are responsible for most of the known minimization of the genetic code. This supports models for the origin and evolution of the code, in which new amino acids were added after duplications or modification of existing aaRSs. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.