Chance and necessity in chromosomal gene distributions.
By analyzing the spacing of genes on chromosomes, we find that transcriptional and RNA-processing regulatory sequences outside coding regions leave footprints on the distribution of intergenic distances. Using analogies between genes on chromosomes and one-dimensional gases, we constructed a statistical null model. We used this to estimate typical upstream and downstream regulatory sequence sizes in various species. Deviations from this model reveal bi-directional transcriptional regulatory regions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and bi-directional terminators in Escherichia coli.
Hermsen
Rutger
R
FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, 1098 SJ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. hermsen@amolf.nl
ten Wolde
Pieter Rein
PR
Teichmann
Sarah
S
D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D015825:Chromosomes, Fungal / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005800:Genes, Fungal