Neutral adaptation of the genetic code to double-strand coding |
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Authors: | Jaromir Konecny Michael Eckert Michael Schöniger G Ludwig Hofacker |
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Institution: | (1) Theoretical Chemistry, Tech University Munich, Lichtenbergstr. 4, D 8046 Garching, Federal Republic of Germany |
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Abstract: | Summary We lay new foundations to the hypothesis that the genetic code is adapted to evolutionary retention of information in the
antisense strands of natural DNA/RNA sequences. In particular, we show that the genetic code exhibits, beyond the neutral
replacement patterns of amino acid substitutions, optimal properties by favoring simultaneous evolution of proteins encoded
in DNA/RNA sense-antisense strands. This is borne out in the sense-antisense transformations of the codons of every amino
acid which target amino acids physicochemically similar to each other. Moreover, silent mutations in the sense strand generate
conservative ones in its antisense counterpart and vice versa. Coevolution of proteins coded by complementary strands is shown
to be a definite possibility, a result which does not depend on any physical interaction between the coevolving proteins.
Likewise, the degree to which the present genetic code is dedicated to evolutionary sense-antisense tolerance is demonstrated
by comparison with many randomized codes. Double-strand coding is quantified from an information-theoretical point of view. |
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Keywords: | Genetic code Sense-antisense coding Neutral adaptation Information content |
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