title: Informational symmetry breaking between proteins and nucleic acids.
abstract: Anti-symmetry of the information-processing mechanisms between proteins and nucleic acids is generalized to informational symmetry breaking between a genetic polymer and an anti-genetic polymer so as not to depend on particular chemical species. In a genetic polymer, e.g. nucleic acids, any sequence can form a closed double-stranded structure with a specific partner sequence. On the other hand, in an anti-genetic polymer, e.g. proteins, a chain could fold to an open multi-stranded structure and reinterpretation of the genetic information through slides or shifts between stacked strands could be induced by external perturbations. The possibility of the informational symmetry breaking by hierarchical organization of a single chemical species, i.e. polypeptides as a genetic polymer and nucleic acids as an anti-genetic polymer, is examined. The informational functions of genetic polymers and anti-genetic polymers in a complex mixture of macromolecules are characterized.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Fundamental Chemistry, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maekawa
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000235:genetics*; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009696:Nucleic Acids; D010455:Peptides; D011108:Polymers; D011506:Proteins; D004247:DNA