The "clustered structure" of the purines/pyrimidines distribution in DNA distinguishes systematically between coding and non-coding sequences

Bull Math Biol. 1997 Sep;59(5):975-92. doi: 10.1007/BF02460002.

Abstract

A method allowing to measure the inhomogeneous distribution of purines/pyrimidines in nucleotide sequences is developed. We show that this measure relates to the coding or non-coding character of the considered sequence. Coding sequences present a near to the random Pu or Py distribution. This property is shared by both protein-coding DNA and functional RNA-coding DNA. Non-coding sequences present a highly clustered inhomogeneity. We propose the hypothesis, corroborated with appropriate computer simulations, that this is due to the action of various transposition events accumulated for long time periods.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Base Composition*
  • Base Sequence*
  • DNA / chemistry*
  • DNA / metabolism
  • DNA, Viral / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Mathematics
  • Models, Theoretical*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Biosynthesis
  • Purines / analysis*
  • Pyrimidines / analysis*
  • RNA / biosynthesis
  • Viruses / genetics

Substances

  • DNA, Viral
  • Purines
  • Pyrimidines
  • RNA
  • DNA

Associated data

  • GENBANK/S43426
  • GENBANK/S78240