An interpretation of genetic information: quantification analysis of splice signal sequences in mRNA precursors

Abstract

The signals which direct excision of infrons from mRNA precursors in higher eukaryotes' genes are not well understood. Although a consensus sequence, CA AG/GT AG AGT, has been proposed with the 5'-splice site actual 5'-splice site sequences differ from it to a greater or lesser degree. In the present paper, nucleotide sequences were transformed into categorical data, and quantification analysis developed by Hayashi was applied to such a system. Two classes of 5'-splice site sequences and sequences other than 5'-splice site were discriminated most distinctly. This approach was useful to know those factors which characterize 5'-splice signal sequences.