Optimization of amino acid replacement costs by mutational pressure in bacterial genomes.

ABSTRACT: Mutations are considered a spontaneous and random process, which is important component of evolution because it generates genetic variation. On the other hand, mutations are deleterious leading to non-functional genes and energetically costly repairs. Therefore, one can expect that the mutational pressure is optimized to simultaneously generate genetic diversity and preserve genetic information. To check if empirical mutational pressures are optimized in these ways, we compared matrices of nucleotide mutation rates derived from bacterial genomes with their best possible alternatives that minimized or maximized costs of amino acid replacements associated with differences in their physicochemical properties (e.g. hydropathy and polarity). It should be noted that the studied empirical nucleot

SUBMITTER: Blazej P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5430830 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature