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On genetic information uncertainty and the mutator phenotype in cancer
- Source :
- Bio Systems. 108(1-3)
- Publication Year :
- 2011
-
Abstract
- Recent evidence supports the existence of a mutator phenotype in cancer cells, although the mechanistic basis remains unknown. In this paper, it is shown that this enhanced genetic instability is generated by an amplified measurement uncertainty on genetic information during DNA replication. At baseline, an inherent measurement uncertainty implies an imprecision of the recognition, replication and transfer genetic information, and forms the basis for an intrinsic genetic instability in all biological cells. Genetic information is contained in the sequence of DNA bases, each existing due to proton tunnelling, as a coherent superposition of quantum states composed of both the canonical and rare tautomeric forms until decoherence by interaction with DNA polymerase. The result of such a quantum measurement process may be interpreted classically as akin to a Bernoulli trial, whose outcome X is random and can be either of two possibilities, depending on whether the proton is tunnelled (X = 1) or not (X = 0). This inherent quantum uncertainty is represented by a binary entropy function and quantified in terms of Shannon information entropy H(X) = −P(X = 1)log2 P(X = 1) − P(X = 0)log2 P(X = 0). Enhanced genetic instability may either be directly derived from amplified uncertainty induced by increases in quantum and thermodynamic fluctuation, or indirectly arise from the loss of natural uncertainty reduction mechanisms.
- Subjects :
- Statistics and Probability
DNA Replication
Quantum decoherence
Uncertainty principle
Information Theory
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Genomic Instability
Binary entropy function
Quantum biology
Quantum state
Quantum mechanics
Neoplasms
Humans
Statistical physics
Quantum
Mathematics
Models, Genetic
Applied Mathematics
Systems Biology
DNA replication
General Medicine
DNA, Neoplasm
Phenotype
Modeling and Simulation
Mutation
Measurement uncertainty
Quantum Theory
Thermodynamics
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 18728324
- Volume :
- 108
- Issue :
- 1-3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Bio Systems
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....6bdde14dfc9e59048ad8aa340e6b6ef9