Generalized Lévy-walk model for DNA nucleotide sequences

Phys Rev E Stat Phys Plasmas Fluids Relat Interdiscip Topics. 1993 Jun;47(6):4514-23. doi: 10.1103/physreve.47.4514.

Abstract

We propose a generalized Lévy walk to model fractal landscapes observed in noncoding DNA sequences. We find that this model provides a very close approximation to the empirical data and explains a number of statistical properties of genomic DNA sequences such as the distribution of strand-biased regions (those with an excess of one type of nucleotide) as well as local changes in the slope of the correlation exponent alpha. The generalized Lévy-walk model simultaneously accounts for the long-range correlations in noncoding DNA sequences and for the apparently paradoxical finding of long subregions of biased random walks (length lj) within these correlated sequences. In the generalized Lévy-walk model, the lj are chosen from a power-law distribution P(lj) varies as lj(-mu). The correlation exponent alpha is related to mu through alpha = 2-mu/2 if 2 < mu < 3. The model is consistent with the finding of "repetitive elements" of variable length interspersed within noncoding DNA.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Chromosome Walking
  • DNA*
  • Fractals
  • Models, Statistical*
  • Nucleotides / analysis
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA / methods*

Substances

  • Nucleotides
  • DNA