Abstract
We test the validity of a possible schematization of DNA structure and dynamics based on the Chern–Simons theory, that is a topological field theory mostly considered in the context of effective gravity theories. By means of the expectation value of the Wilson Loop, derived from this analogue gravity approach, we find the point-like curvature of genomic strings in KRAS human gene and COVID-19 sequences, correlating this curvature with the genetic mutations. The point-like curvature profile, obtained by means of the Chern–Simons currents, can be used to infer the position of the given mutations within the genetic string. Generally, mutations take place in the highest Chern–Simons current gradient locations and subsequent mutated sequences appear to have a smoother curvature than the initial ones, in agreement with a free energy minimization argument.
Highlights
From very general and basic theories such as classical and quantum theories of gravity, ideas can lead to far beyond closely related fields, such as theoretical physics, cosmology, and astrophysics, to push concepts and applications to complex systems, there including the interactions between biomolecules, such as nucleic acids and proteins. This model is significant because it introduces a new approach to treat biological systems, which differs from standard bioinformatics methods as it is not based on approaches typical of statistical mechanics applied to complex systems, but rather on first principles of field theories of physics
The main idea is to describe the DNA curvature by using the same formalism used for the space-time, treating the interactions occurring in biological systems as driven by the same general principles that govern the gravitational interaction
This paper is organized as follows: in Sect. 2 we briefly review the application of Chern– Simons theory to DNA and RNA systems; in Sect. 3 the formalism is applied to different strings of KRAS human gene and to SARS-CoV-2 virus sequences
Summary
From very general and basic theories such as classical and quantum theories of gravity, ideas can lead to far beyond closely related fields, such as theoretical physics, cosmology, and astrophysics, to push concepts and applications to complex systems, there including the interactions between biomolecules, such as nucleic acids and proteins This model is significant because it introduces a new approach to treat biological systems, which differs from standard bioinformatics methods as it is not based on approaches typical of statistical mechanics applied to complex systems, but rather on first principles of field theories of physics. In our analysis KRAS sequences with mutations are compared with reference sequences, with the aim to use Chern–Simons theory to infer predictions of biological interest As for the latter case, which is naturally one of the most studied RNA sequence to date due to pandemic, using a genome wide approach, Bobay et al [60] examined SARS-CoV-2 RNA, observing that recombination events account for approximately 40% of the polymorphisms, and gene exchange occurs only within strains of the same subgenus (Sarbeco virus).
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