Translational selection shapes codon usage in the GC-rich genome of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

In unicellular species codon usage is determined by mutational biases and natural selection. Among prokaryotes, the influence of these factors is different if the genome is skewed towards AT or GC, since in AT-rich organisms translational selection is absent. On the other hand, in AT-rich unicellular eukaryotes the two factors are present. In order to understand if GC-rich genomes display a similar behavior, the case of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was studied. Since we found that translational selection strongly influences codon usage in this species, we conclude that there is not a common pattern among unicellular organisms.