Acta Univ Latv (2006) 710: 139–153

Internal regularity and quantization of gene parameters

Abstract

The origin and function of introns in eukaryotic cells has rised much attention since their discovery in 1977. However, none of the opposing theories is universally recognized today. We have elaborated a new approach and methodology to study the origin of genes and introns using analysis and comparison of gene numerical parametres and their internal regularity. Exon dimensions, intron coordinates, sizes of gene exon rows, etc. were investigated. Our aim was to demonstrate that the structures of primeval gene precursors originating at the very early stage of evolution were regular and periodic, and that this regularity was retained partially also in the structures of modern contemporary genes and the corresponding proteins. The ability to determine the size of the gene quantum and to quantize the gene numerical parameters for the most regular modern gene structures gave support for this new approach. In this article we describe new principles and a method of analysis of gene internal regularity, demonstrate the internal regularity of some gene segments, and determine the numerical values of their quanta.