Dynamics of transposable elements generates structure and symmetries in genetic sequences
arXiv:2006.12017 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.033477
Abstract
Genetic sequences are known to possess non-trivial composition together with symmetries in the frequencies of their components. Recently, it has been shown that symmetry and structure are hierarchically intertwined in DNA, suggesting a common origin for both features. However, the mechanism leading to this relationship is unknown. Here we investigate a biologically motivated dynamics for the evolution of genetic sequences. We show that a metastable (long-lived) regime emerges in which sequences have symmetry and structure interlaced in a way that matches that of extant genomes.
6 pagesm 4 figures