Biochemical Genetics.

The Genetic Code--Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

“…In addition there was the famous "one gene-one enzyme" hypothesis of Beadle (1945), but this was never extended. as far as I knon.. to embrace the idea of a detailed linear code relating the two sequences.…”

Biochemical Genetics and Molecular Biology: The Contributions of George Beadle and Edward Tatum

“…He states that the hypothesis itself "was the product of gradual evolution beginning with Garrod and contributed to by many" and that it later had been given its "most explicit formulation" by Horowitz and Leupold (1951) (Beadle 1958). Beadle occasionally modified its statement to "one geneone reaction" (Beadle 1945), but the hypothesis in either formulation has not stood the test of time. The developing understanding that single stretches of DNA can code multiple peptides as a result of multiple start sites and patterns of exon use and of the nature of protein structure make it clear that single peptides may participate in numerous reactions and that single proteins may participate in numerous developmental processes.…”

“…Beadle was remarkably effusive in ascribing credit for the initial recognition of the relationship between genes and enzymes to Garrod (Beadle 1945(Beadle , 1958. In particular, he attributed to Garrod's studies on Inborn Errors of Metabolism (Garrod 1909) the beginnings of biochemical genetics.…”

Genes and enzymes

“…It was now well-known that chromosomes contained both protein and nucleic acid and Beadle [13] discussed whether these molecules could be equated with genes. The most striking characteristic of a gene was the very specific effect it could produce and it was possible to see this as similar to the high specificity of enzymes with respect tO their substrates and the reactions catalysed.…”