PERIODICITIES IN CODING AND NONCODING REGIONS OF THE GENES

Gene population statistical studies of protein coding genes and introns have identified two types of periodicities on the purine/pyrimidine alphabet: (i) the modulo 3 periodicity or coding periodicity (periodicity P3) in protein coding genes of eukaryotes, prokaryotes, viruses, chloroplasts, mitochondria, plasmids and in introns of viruses and mitochondria, and (ii) the modulo 2 periodicity (periodicity P2) in the eukaryotic introns. The periodicity study is herein extended to the 5′ and 3′ regions of eukaryotes, prokaryotes and viruses and shows: (i) the periodicity P3 in the 5′ and 3′ regions of prokaryotes and viruses, and (ii) the periodicities P2 and P3 in the 5′ and 3′ regions of eukaryotes. Therefore, these observations suggest a unitary and dynamic concept for the genes as for a given genome, the 5′ and 3′ regions have the genetic information for protein coding genes and for introns:o(1)In the eukaryotic genome, the 5′ (P2 and P3) and 3′ (P2 and P3) regions have the information for protein coding genes (P3) and for introns (P2). The intensity of P3 is high in 5′ regions and weak in 3′ regions, while the intensity of P2 is weak in 5′ regions and high in 3′ regions.(2)In the prokaryotic genome, the 5′ (P3) and 3′ (P3) regions have the information for protein coding genes (P3).(3)In the viral genome, the 5′ (P3) and 3′ (P3) regions have the information for protein coding genes (P3) and for introns (P3). The absence of P2 in viral introns (in opposition to eukaryotic introns) may be related to the absence of P2 in 5′ and 3′ regions of viruses. © 1990 Academic Press Limited.