We estimated the frame-shift mutation rate in the real genomes, and in randomized genomes without context-dependent codon choice

The ratio between these two values is a measure for the degree by which context-dependent codon choice stabilizes the genome, and is displayed on the z-axis. Increasing lightness of the colors indicate increasing values on the z-axis. This ratio was calculated for different combinations of two biological parameters – the increase in the frame-shift mutation rate per nucleotide added to a mononucleotide repeat (parameter , x-axis), and the minimal length for a mononucleotide repeat to exhibit a significant frame-shift mutation rate (parameter , y-axis; see Methods). Published data suggest that in MMR-deficient bacteria is close to 3 and is about 4. For this combination, context-dependent codon choice leads to a decrease in the frame-shift mutation rate in mononucleotide repeats of a factor of about 20 in and of a factor of 3 in .<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Stabilization of the genome of the mismatch repair deficient by context-dependent codon choice"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/9/249</p><p>BMC Genomics 2008;9():249-249.</p><p>Published online 28 May 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2430213.</p><p>