An Explosion of Hidden Messages

Looking for hidden messages in multiple genomes

We should not jump to the conclusion that ATGATCAAG/CTTGATCAT is a hidden message for all bacterial genomes without first checking whether it even appears in known ori regions from other bacteria. After all, maybe the clumping effect of ATGATCAAG/CTTGATCAT in the ori region of Vibrio cholerae is simply a statistical fluke that has nothing to do with replication. Or maybe different bacteria have different DnaA boxes.

Let’s check the proposed ori region of Thermotoga petrophila, a bacterium that thrives in extremely hot environments; its name derives from its discovery in the water beneath oil reservoirs, where temperatures can exceed 80º Celsius.