Skip Navigation



MBE Advance Access published online on August 22, 2006
Molecular Biology and Evolution, doi:10.1093/molbev/msl096
This Article
Right arrow Advance Access manuscript (PDF) Freely available
Right arrowOA All Versions of this Article:
23/11/2214    most recent
msl096v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Palmeira, L.
Right arrow Articles by Lobry, J. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Palmeira, L.
Right arrow Articles by Lobry, J. R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 2006 The Authors This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Accepted August 14, 2006

Research Article

UV-targeted Dinucleotides are not Depleted in light-exposed Prokaryotic Genomes

Leonor Palmeira 1 *, Laurent Guéguen 1, and Jean R. Lobry 1

1 Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive (UMR 5558); CNRS; Univ. Lyon 1, 43 bd 11 nov, 69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France; HELIX, Unité de recherche INRIA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Leonor Palmeira, E-mail: palmeira{at}biomserv.univ-lyon1.fr


  Abstract

We have investigated the hypothesis that pyrimidine dinucleotides are avoided in light-exposed genomes, as the result of selective pressure due to high UV exposure. The main damage to DNA produced by UV radiation is known to be the formation of pyrimidine photoproducts: it is estimated that about ten dimers per minute are formed in an Escherichia coli chromosome exposed to the ultraviolet light in direct overhead sunlight at sea level. It is also known that on an Escherichia coli chromosome exposed to UVb wavelengths (290 to 320 nm), pyrimidine photoproducts are formed in the following proportions: 59% TpT, 7% CpC, and 34% CpT plus TpC. We have analyzed all available complete prokaryotic genomes and the model organism Prochlorococcus marinus, and have found that pyrimidine dinucleotides are not systematically avoided. This suggests that prokaryotes must have sufficiently effective protection and repair systems for UV exposure not to affect their dinucleotide composition.

Keywords: G+C content; dinucleotide content; ultraviolet radiation; aerobiosis; Prochlorococcus marinus.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.