How Bacterial GC Content Affects Amino Acid Usage
Author Information
Author(s): Lightfield John, Fram Noah R., Ely Bert, Otto Michael
Primary Institution: Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
Hypothesis
If genomic GC content is the primary determinant of codon and amino acid usage patterns, then similar usage patterns would have arisen independently in each of the eight classes or phyla.
Conclusion
GC content appears to be the primary determinant of the codon and amino acid usage patterns observed in bacterial genomes.
Supporting Evidence
- Similar patterns of codon usage and protein amino acid content have evolved independently in all eight groups of bacteria.
- For each class and phylum analyzed, the proportion of amino acids that are encoded by high GC codons increases as genomic GC content increases.
- The observed patterns are a result of shared GC content rather than shared ancestry.
Takeaway
Bacteria with different GC content use different amino acids to make their proteins, and this happens in a consistent way across many types of bacteria.
Methodology
The study analyzed codon usage patterns and predicted protein amino acid content as a function of genomic GC content within eight different phyla or classes of bacteria.
Limitations
The available sequenced genomes do not reflect a random sampling of the members of the group.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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