ABSTRACT
The year 1953 saw the discovery of the double helix, the completion of the sequencing of insulin, and the conquering of Mt. Everest. In the formation of an aminoacyl-tRNA, it was considered that a recognition reaction between a particular aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and its cognate tRNA must occur. It may also be regarded as the year in which dinucleoside polyphosphates were born. Like so many molecules of established biological importance, the first dinucleoside polyphosphates were discovered by accident. It was thought that a conformational change in the tRNA might possibly be noticed if the interaction were to take place in an optical rotary dispersion cell. As a competitive inhibitor of ADP-induced platelet aggregation, it is also an early player in the cascade of events leading to or preventing intravascular clot formation. Thus, several disparate metabolic areas in higher animals — protein synthesis, nucleic acid synthesis, stress phenomena, neuroregulation, and intravascular functions —are all influenced by the presence of Ap4 A.
