Small-world networks and RNA secondary structures

Abstract

Let Sn denote the network of all RNA secondary structures of length n, in which undirected edges exist between structures s, t such that t is obtained from s by the addition, removal or shift of a single base pair. Using context-free grammars, generating functions and complex analysis, we show that the asymptotic average degree is O(n) and that the asymptotic clustering coeffcient is O(1/n), from which it follows that the family Sn, n = 1,2,3,... of secondary structure networks is not small-world.