Network of tRNA gene sequences

A network of 3719 tRNA gene sequences was constructed using simplest alignment. Its topology, degree distribution and clustering coefficient were studied. The behaviors of the network shift from fluctuated distribution to scale-free distribution when the similarity degree of the tRNA gene sequences increases. The tRNA gene sequences with the same anticodon identity are more self-organized than those with different anticodon identities and form local clusters in the network. Some vertices of the local cluster have a high connection with other local clusters, and the probable reason was given. Moreover, a network constructed by the same number of random tRNA sequences was used to make comparisons. The relationships between the properties of the tRNA similarity network and the characters of tRNA evolutionary history were discussed.