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Noether's Theorem as a Metaphor for Chargaff's 2nd Parity Rule in Genomics
Yannis Almirantis1, Astero Provata2, Wentian Li3
1Theoretical Biology and Computational Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience and Applications, National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos", 15341, Athens, Greece. yalmir@bio.demokritos.gr.
Abstract:
In the present note, the genomic compositional rule largely known as 'Chargaff's 2nd parity rule' (asserting equimolarity between Adenine-Thymine and Guanine-Cytosine in any of the two DNA strands) is regarded in association with Noether's theorem linking symmetries with conservation laws in physics. In the case of the genome, the strict physical and mathematical prerequisites of Noether's theorem do not hold. However, we conclude that a metaphor can be established with Noether's theorem, as inter-strand symmetry concerning DNA functionality engenders specific features in genome composition. Inversely, when inter-strand symmetry does not hold, the corresponding quantitative relations fail to appear. This association is also considered from the point of view of the existence of emergent laws and properties in evolutionary genomics.
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