Using Huffman coding method to visualize and analyze DNA sequences

On the basis of the Huffman coding method, we propose a new graphical representation of DNA sequence. The representation can avoid degeneracy and loss of information in the transfer of data from a DNA sequence to its graphical representation. Then a multicomponent vector from the representation is introduced to characterize quantitatively DNA sequences. The components of the vector are derived from the graphical representation of DNA primary sequence. The examination of similarities and dissimilarities among the complete coding sequences of β‐globin gene of 11 species and six ND6 proteins shows the utility of the scheme. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011