Study on the genetic code: comparison with multiplexed codes

Abstract

The genetic code is a key concept in genetics. This code establishes the link between the DNA (desoxyribonucleic acid), composed of nucleic acids, and proteins, composed of amino acids. The genetic code is known to be universal, indeed almost all organisms use this code, and it is degenerated, this means that several sequences of nucleic acids can be translated into the same amino acid. This feature is also present in multiplexed codes which is a new concept recently introduced for robust source coding. In this paper we present a comparison between multiplexed codes and the genetic code. We show why this comparison is relevant, and we point out the fact that the genetic code is almost optimal in the context of multiplexed codes theory.