Biological Evolution of Dialects of the Genetic Code
This chapter demonstrates results of a comparative investigation of characteristics of degeneracy of all known dialects of the genetic code. This investigation is conducted on the basis of the results of symmetrological analysis, which were described in Chapter 2, about the division of the set of the 20 amino acids into the two canonical subsets: the subset of the 8 high-degeneracy acids and the subset of the 12 low-degeneracy acids. The existence of numerical and structural invariants in the set of these dialects is shown. The derived results from the comparative investigation permit one to formulate some phenomenological rules of evolution of these dialects. These numeric invariants and parameters of code degeneracy draw attention to the formal connection of this evolution with famous facts of chrono-biology and chrono-medicine. The chronocyclic conception of the functioning of molecular-genetic systems is proposed on this basis. The biophysical basis of this conception provides connection to the genetic code structures with mechanisms of photosynthesis which produce living substance by means of utilization of solar energy. And the solar energy comes cyclically on the surface of the Earth. The revealed numeric invariants of evolution of the genetic code give new approaches to the fundamental question, why do 20 amino acids exist? We will demonstrate new patterns of the genetic code systems.