The close relationship between the biosynthetic families of amino acids and the organisation of the genetic code.
By generating random codes and applying Fisher's exact test, we confirm that the biosynthetic families of amino acids are intimately involved in the organisation of the genetic code. This observation corroborates the coevolution theory of genetic code origin. As the amino acids belonging to the single biosynthetic families have codons that are contiguous in the genetic code, they must have entered the code itself by means of a clustering mechanism, which must clearly have been compatible with the mechanism on which this theory is based because this too envisages the clustering of biosynthetically correlated amino acids within the code.
Di Giulio
Massimo
M
Institute of Genetics and Biophysics 'Adriano Buzzati Traverso', CNR, Naples, Napoli, Italy. digiulio@igb.cnr.it
Amato
Umberto
U
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003198:Computer Simulation; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005815:Genetic Code / Q000235:genetics*
D000596:Amino Acids; D003062:Codon