title: Small regions of preferential codon usage and their effect on overall codon bias--the case of the plp gene.
abstract: Preferential codon usage within synonymous groups (codon bias), is hypothesised to be a consequence of either mutational pressure or translational selection. This paper examines PLP and DM-20, two transcripts differentially spliced from the plp gene, using a variety of previously described indices measuring codon bias as well as a novel index for quantifying the response to directional mutation pressure. The results demonstrate that small regions of extreme codon bias may have appreciable effects on the quantification of total bias, and that this effect may be either an increase or a decrease depending which index is used.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomolecular Sciences, John Moores University, Liverpool, England.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gatherer
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: McEwan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001482:Base Composition; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D018991:Myelin Proteolipid Protein / Q000235:genetics*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D018991:Myelin Proteolipid Protein; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C047516:Plp1 protein, mouse; C489071:Plp1 protein, rat; D012333:RNA, Messenger