42 Nature of the Genetic Material 



but, since all our ideas are closely interwoven, the points that can 

 be used, as far as I can see, either for or against the DNA monopoly 

 as genie material should be mentioned here. In my opinion the whole 

 body of facts concerning RNA in the cytoplasm is in favor of a 

 scaffolding function of both nucleic acids for self-duplication of 

 proteins and (or) as templates of protein synthesis. 



In my view of the genie material, there is no corpuscular gene but 

 only a definite pattern in the chromonema the changes of which are 

 the mutations. I have repeatedly pointed out (1946i>, 1952a) that we 

 are waiting for details concerning the supermolecules, the polymerized 

 combinations of different individual molecules, the pattern of which 

 alone accounts for genie activities and changes. In those discussions 

 I might have used Watson and Crick's statement, if it had been 

 available then, that the arrangement of the bases in the DNA mole- 

 cule is "the code in which the genetic specificity is spelled." I have 

 sometimes used as examples combinations of the same four or five 

 letters that contain a different sense: fowl, flow, wolf; tame, team, 

 meat. Though this is somewhat different from Watson's code, the 

 underlying idea of specific patterns formed by the same elements is 

 similar. My simile is more nearly comparable to the idea of stereoiso- 

 meres (though of course not literally), while Watson's code means, 

 if I understand correctly, an unending series of different DNA's based 

 upon sequence and permutation of the bases: a pattern of four non- 

 obligatory units within the monomere and thus a still more compli- 

 cated pattern in the polymer. Thus it would not be difficult to work 

 out my thesis of the hierarchy of genie material ( see I 3 C c ff. ) with 

 Watson and Crick's formula of the DNA molecule and without re- 

 course to genes. Again we face the same situation: if DNA is the 

 scaffolding for the genie proteins, it is possible to work the same 

 scheme for the pattern of duplicating amino acid residues, peptides, 

 and polypeptides. The answer to the question, "What is the genie 

 material?" might still be, "the chromosome." All the facts relating to 

 the chromosome and its structure, behavior, chemistry, and physics 

 must be integrated when we are looking for the genie material and 

 not merely for the chemistry of one part. 



The arrangement and behavior of the chromomeres are important 

 features of the chromosome, which has a complicated micellar struc- 

 ture. A spatial configuration that would permit the duplication of 

 the genie part of the chromosome according to schemes based upon 

 molecular structure alone would be very difiBcult to conceive. We 

 would therefore have to turn to the idea developed previously that 



