Influence of genomic G+C content on average amino-acid composition of proteins from 59 bacterial species

The amino-acid composition of 23 490 proteins from 59 bacterial species was analyzed as a function of genomic G + C content. Observed amino-acid frequencies were compared with those expected from a neutral model assuming the absence of selection on average protein composition. Integral membrane proteins and non-integral membrane proteins were analyzed separately. The average deviation from this neutral model shows that there is a selective pressure increasing content in charged amino acids for non-integral membrane proteins, and content in hydrophobic amino acids for integral membrane proteins. Amino-acid frequencies were greatly influenced by genomic G + C content, but the influence was found to be often weaker than predicted. This may be evidence for a selective pressure, maintaining most amino-acid frequencies close to an optimal value. Concordance between the genetic code and protein composition is discussed in the light of this observation. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.