Random Amino Acid Mutations and Protein Misfolding Lead to Shannon Limit in Sequence-Structure Communication
Author Information
Author(s): Lisewski Andreas Martin
Primary Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Hypothesis
A noisy communication channel with a Shannon limit exists in the protein sequence-structure map.
Conclusion
The study concludes that the sequence-structure map in proteins can be represented as a noisy digital communication channel with a Shannon limit at 0.010 bits per amino acid symbol.
Supporting Evidence
- Shannon's theorem confirms that in close to native conformations information is transmitted with limited error probability.
- Random errors in sequence and structure trigger a decrease in communication capacity toward a Shannon limit.
- An essential biological system can be modeled as a digital communication channel that is sensitive to random errors.
Takeaway
This study shows that when proteins are made, mistakes can happen, and if too many mistakes occur, the protein can't fold correctly.
Methodology
The study used a large set of experimental protein atomic coordinates to analyze the communication channel between amino acid sequences and their structures.
Limitations
The study may not account for all types of errors in protein synthesis and assumes a specific model of communication.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.010
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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