Codon usage correlations and crystal basis model of the genetic code

M. L. Chiusano; L. Frappat; P. Sorba; A. Sciarrino

doi:doi:10.1209/epl/i2001-00411-9

DOI: 10.1209/epl/i2001-00411-9

Europhys. Lett., 55 (2) , pp. 287-293 (2001)

Codon usage correlations and crystal basis model of the genetic code

M. L. Chiusano¹, L. Frappat², P. Sorba² and A. Sciarrino³

¹ CRISCEB, II Università di Napoli - Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
² Laboratoire de Physique Théorique LAPTH, URA 1436 Chemin de Bellevue, BP 110, F-74941 Annecy-le-Vieux, France
³ Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Università di Napoli "Federico II" and INFN, Sezione di Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo Via Cintia, 80126 Napoli, Italy

marilu@crisceb.area.na.cnr.it
frappat@lapp.in2p3.fr
sorba@lapp.in2p3.fr
sciarrino@na.infn.it

(Received 15 June 2000; accepted in final form 3 May 2001)

Abstract
The ratios of the codon frequencies for the amino acids coded by four or by six codons in the genetic code exhibit a correlated behaviour for 29 biological species. The analyzed species are such that the whole codon number, determined from the available coding sequences, is larger than about 100 000. This correlation fits naturally in the framework of the crystal basis model of the genetic code (FRAPPAT L., SCIARRINO A. AND SORBA P. , Phys. Lett. A, 250 (1998) 214).