DNA energy constraints shape biological evolutionary trajectories

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fariselli, Piero, Taccioli, Cristian, Pagani, Luca, Maritan, Amos
Format: Preprint
Published: 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866912353924153344
author Fariselli, Piero
Taccioli, Cristian
Pagani, Luca
Maritan, Amos
author_facet Fariselli, Piero
Taccioli, Cristian
Pagani, Luca
Maritan, Amos
contents Most living systems rely on double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) to store their genetic information and perpetuate themselves. This biological information has been considered the main target of evolution. However, here we show that symmetries and patterns in the dsDNA sequence can emerge from the physical peculiarities of the dsDNA molecule itself and the maximum entropy principle alone, rather than from biological or environmental evolutionary pressure. The randomness justifies the human codon biases and context-dependent mutation patterns in human populations. Thus, the DNA "exceptional symmetries", emerged from the randomness, have to be taken into account when looking for the DNA encoded information. Our results suggest that the double helix energy constraints and, more generally, the physical properties of the dsDNA are the hard drivers of the overall DNA sequence architecture, whereas the biological selective processes act as soft drivers, which only under extraordinary circumstances overtake the overall entropy content of the genome.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_1905_00621
institution arXiv
publishDate 2019
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle DNA energy constraints shape biological evolutionary trajectories
Fariselli, Piero
Taccioli, Cristian
Pagani, Luca
Maritan, Amos
Biomolecules
Genomics
Most living systems rely on double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) to store their genetic information and perpetuate themselves. This biological information has been considered the main target of evolution. However, here we show that symmetries and patterns in the dsDNA sequence can emerge from the physical peculiarities of the dsDNA molecule itself and the maximum entropy principle alone, rather than from biological or environmental evolutionary pressure. The randomness justifies the human codon biases and context-dependent mutation patterns in human populations. Thus, the DNA "exceptional symmetries", emerged from the randomness, have to be taken into account when looking for the DNA encoded information. Our results suggest that the double helix energy constraints and, more generally, the physical properties of the dsDNA are the hard drivers of the overall DNA sequence architecture, whereas the biological selective processes act as soft drivers, which only under extraordinary circumstances overtake the overall entropy content of the genome.
title DNA energy constraints shape biological evolutionary trajectories
topic Biomolecules
Genomics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/1905.00621