An Application of Residue Number System (RNS) to Molecular Biology

Abstract

George Gamow introduced the mathematical angle that led to a better understanding of the number of possible codons of the genetic code. This builds a harmonious relationship between mathematics and molecular biology. Although very unsuccessful in his quest to provide the representation of the genetic code, with the diamond code, but his mathematical postulation of the genetic code being a 4 by 4 by 4 codon representation of 64 codons was correct. Bioinformatics ascribe digits to nitrogenous bases, binary digits, but there has been proponents for a quaternary number system representation of the genetic code since the code is made of the four (4) nitrogenous bases. The unique representation of Gamow offers the opportunity to represent the genetic code as a 3-moduli set RNS. This sets up further considerations of the genetic code (code of life) in the field of Residue Number System (RNS). AnRNS-Genetic code has the potential of opening new extraordinary vistas of potential progress in contemporary molecular biology. This work explores the feasibility of RNS as a number system of choice for generating the genetic code and further respond to the quest for a quaternary number system for the genetic code.