That was the Molecular Biology That was

Abstract

A generally satisfying, all encompassing view was by then attained: the double helix was a template for DNA polymerase in order to create a copy of itself, as well as a template to be transcribed by the RNA polymerase into RNA which, on the ribosomes, directed the production of proteins according to an established code. The amino acid chains, then, folded themselves into characteristic tridimensional structures, exposing special active sites for manifold enzymatic reactions of the metabolism to occur. Beyond that, the capability of these events to be regulated, as exemplified by the operon model, rounded off the picture. The most complex processes of cell differentiation or embryological development were seen as mere variants of the basic principle of protein-nucleic acid interaction.