QUANTUM GENETICS AND THE APERIODIC SOLID. SOME ASPECTS ON THE BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF HEREDITY, MUTATIONS, AGEING, AND TUMORS IN VIEW OF THE QUANTUM THEORY OF THE DNA MOLECULE
Abstract
According to Watson-Crick's stereo model, DNA molecule is a double helix with two sugar phosphate chains held together by a sequence of pairs of nucleotide bases (A,G,T,C) joined by hydrogen bonds. Pairing is specific (A-T, G-C) and, in cell duplication, each half of helix is forming its own complement. It is believed that genetic information is contained in sequence of base pairs which is preserved through this arrangement. Possible mechanisms for replication and transcription of genetic message through DNA-duplication and RNA-formation are discussed. According to quantum mechanics, there is a finite probability that normal base pairs A-T and G-C may spontaneously go over into tautomeric pairs A-T and G-C through a proton exchange along hydrogen bonds. Since tautomeric bases have another pairing pattern (A-C, G-T, C-A, T-G), proton exchange leads inevitably to errors in genetic base sequence in next duplication. This mechanism may be responsible for occurrence of spontaneous mutations, aging (considered as a loss of useful genetic information through accumulation of errors), and occurrence of spontaneous cancer when accumulated errors have passed a critical limit in a certain direction.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 11, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0296941
Entities
People
- Per-olov Lowdin
Organizations
- Uppsala University