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Flexibility of the genetic code with respect to DNA structure
P F Baisnée1, P Baldi, S Brunak
1Department of Information and Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3425, USA. pfbald@ics.uci.edu
Bioinformatics (Oxford, England)
|April 11, 2001
Summary
The genetic code allows DNA structure signals to be superimposed on protein-coding sequences via amino acid substitutions. However, DNA structure likely did not significantly constrain the genetic code's origin or evolution.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Biophysics
Background:
- DNA's primary role is genetic information storage via the genetic code.
- DNA also contains structural signals influencing gene expression and regulation.
- The interplay between genetic code degeneracy and DNA structure is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the genetic code's flexibility in accommodating DNA structural signals.
- To investigate whether DNA structure constrained the origin and evolution of the genetic code.
Main Methods:
- Development of a code flexibility index concerning DNA structure.
- Analysis using five distinct dinucleotide or trinucleotide models of sequence-dependent DNA structure.
Main Results:
- The standard genetic code offers considerable flexibility for superimposing broad amino acid category structural signals.
- Flexibility at the single amino acid level is limited, allowing only for punctual or loosely positioned signals.
- The genetic code's flexibility is low to average compared to alternative codes.
Conclusions:
- DNA structure likely did not play a significant role in the genetic code's origin or evolution.
- The genetic code's inherent flexibility allows for the integration of structural information within protein-coding sequences.