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A genetic code Boolean structure. I. The meaning of Boolean deductions

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Abstract

This paper proposes a genetic code Boolean structure derived from hydrogen bond numbers and chemical types of bases, purines and pyrimidines. It shows that in such Boolean structure, deductions comprise physico-chemical meaning. In particular, codons with adenine as a second base coding to hydrophilic amino acids are not deductible from codons with uracil in the same position, which code to hydrophobic amino acids. Boolean deductions could help us describe the gene evolution process. For instance, most of the reported mutations that confer drug resistance to the HIV protease gene correspond to deductions. What is more, in the human beta-globin gene a similar situation appears where most of the single codon mutations correspond to Boolean deductions from the respective wild-type codon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnology Group, Research Institute of Tropical Roots, Tuber Crops and Banana (INIVIT), Santo Domingo, Villa Clara, Cuba

    Robersy Sánchez

  2. Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computation, Central University of Las Villas, Villa Clara, Cuba

    Eberto Morgado

  3. Center of Studies on Informatics, Central University of Las Villas, Villa Clara, Cuba

    Ricardo Grau

Authors
  1. Robersy Sánchez
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  2. Eberto Morgado
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  3. Ricardo Grau
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Correspondence to Robersy Sánchez.

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Sánchez, R., Morgado, E. & Grau, R. A genetic code Boolean structure. I. The meaning of Boolean deductions. Bull. Math. Biol. 67, 1–14 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bulm.2004.05.005

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bulm.2004.05.005

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