Universal function-specificity of codon usage.

ABSTRACT: Synonymous codon usage has long been known as a factor that affects average expression level of proteins in fast-growing microorganisms, but neither its role in dynamic changes of expression in response to environmental changes nor selective factors shaping it in the genomes of higher eukaryotes have been fully understood. Here, we propose that codon usage is ubiquitously selected to synchronize the translation efficiency with the dynamic alteration of protein expression in response to environmental and physiological changes. Our analysis reveals that codon usage is universally correlated with gene function, suggesting its potential contribution to synchronized regulation of genes with similar functions. We directly show that coexpressed genes have similar synonymous codon usages within th

SUBMITTER: Najafabadi HS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2790905 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature