PubMed · 7262559
Preferential codon usage in genes.
Abstract
We present a method which permits comparison of the preferential use of degenerate codons within any gene. The method makes use of the triplet frequencies in the noncoding frames to assess whether a preference is specific to the reading frame. Preference is given a statistical meaning by use of the analysis of variance coupled to Duncan's multiple range test. Preferential use of degenerate codons is gene-specific and independent of gene size. The data suggest that any correlation between codon frequency distribution and tRNA levels is unreliable. In those animal genes examined, codons ending in C or G are preferred; in animal viruses tested, codons ending in U or A are preferred. Similarly, the bacterial genes and the genes of single-stranded DNA phages that we analyzed differed from each other as well as from eukaryotic genes in the third base of the codon.
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S Wain-Hobson, R Nussinov, R J Brown, J L Sussman. 1981. Preferential codon usage in genes.. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-1119(81)90015-9
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