Fractals and hidden symmetries in DNA (Q980615)

Summary: This paper deals with the digital complex representation of a DNA sequence and the analysis of existing correlations by wavelets. The symbolic DNA sequence is mapped into a nonlinear time series. By studying this time series the existence of fractal shapes and symmetries will be shown. At a first step, the indicator matrix enables us to recognize some typical patterns of nucleotide distributions. The DNA sequence of the influenza virus A (H1N1) is investigated by using the complex representation, together with the corresponding walks on DNA; in particular, it is shown that DNA walks are fractals. Finally, by using wavelet analysis, the existence of symmetries is proven.