Resource conservation manifests in the genetic code

Abstract

Maximizing elements for your genome The accumulation of mutations is typically limited by selective parameters. One such parameter is the elements needed to build proteins and molecules to maintain cells. Examining the underlying carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen content for different amino acids, Shenhav et al. examined the selective pressure resulting from nutrient limitation (see the Perspective by Polz and Cordero). The authors identified “resource-driven” selection as a purifying selective force associated with environmental nutrient availability, particularly nitrogen, and determined the impact of mutations on the organismal nutritional budget. From this constraint, the authors have proposed that the structure of the genetic code across organisms reflects the mutational impact on elemental resources. Science , this issue p. 683 ; see also p. 655