Tracing Biological Evolution in Protein and Gene Structures: Proceedings of the 20th Taniguchi International Symposium, Division of Biophysics, Held in Nagoya, Japan, 31 October-4 November 1994

Research into the structure and functions of proteins, DNA and RNA as well as on genomic information has opened up a new area in the study of biological evolution and thus on our understanding of life. During the last two decades, several important and unexpected findings in molecular biology including the existence of intervening sequences (introns) and the enzymatic function of RNA (ribozymes), have been revealed. It has also now become apparent that macromolecules such as proteins and RNA can be broken down into smaller pieces, or modules, which have biological activities in themselves. The book comprises original articles on recent research into the following: the modular design and assembly of protein and RNA molecules; the relationship of modular designs to the evolution of biological systems for information transfer; and the decoding of genetic information. The conceptual framework developed in these papers is seen as critical to understanding the development and evolution of living systems on this planet.