Relationship between mRNA secondary structure and sequence variability in Chloroplast genes: possible life history implications.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Synonymous sites are freer to vary because of redundancy in genetic code. Messenger RNA secondary structure restricts this freedom, as revealed by previous findings in mitochondrial genes that mutations at third codon position nucleotides in helices are more selected against than those in loops. This motivated us to explore the constraints imposed by mRNA secondary structure on evolutionary variability at all codon positions in general, in chloroplast systems.

Results

We found that the evolutionary variability and intrinsic secondary structure stability of these sequences share an inverse relationship. Simulations of most likely single nucleotide evolution in Psilotum nudum and Nephroselmis olivacea mRNAs, indicate that helix-forming propensities of mutated mRNAs

SUBMITTER: Krishnan NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2276208 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature