Designing DNA codes from reversible self-dual codes over GF(4)

Abstract

We present an explicit method for designing DNA codes from reversible self-dual codes over the finite field GF(4) of order 4. We use Euclidean reversible self-dual codes (Euclidean RSD codes for short) since they have some advantages in designing DNA codes; hence, in this work RSD codes mean Euclidean RSD codes. We first work on a construction method for reversible self-dual codes over GF(4), and we study their properties in the aspect of their connection to DNA codes. We then obtain an efficient and feasible algorithm for designing DNA codes from RSD codes over GF(4). We point out that our algorithm takes advantage of reversibility and self-duality of RSD codes over GF(4). Finally, we produce DNA codes up to length 42 using our method and discuss the GC-weight distributions of DNA codes. We obtain many new DNA codes with better parameters when compared to the previously known results, and we also improve the lower bounds on the maximum size of DNA codes of a fixed code length and dimension. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.