Probability of Fixation of Nonfunctional Genes at Duplicate Loci

1973 ◽  
Vol 107 (955) ◽  
pp. 362-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Nei ◽  
Arun K. Roychoudhury
Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 146 (2) ◽  
pp. 723-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah P Otto ◽  
Michael C Whitlock

The rate of adaptive evolution of a population ultimately depends on the rate of incorporation of beneficial mutations. Even beneficial mutations may, however, be lost from a population since mutant individuals may, by chance, fail to reproduce. In this paper, we calculate the probability of fixation of beneficial mutations that occur in populations of changing size. We examine a number of demographic models, including a population whose size changes once, a population experiencing exponential growth or decline, one that is experiencing logistic growth or decline, and a population that fluctuates in size. The results are based on a branching process model but are shown to be approximate solutions to the diffusion equation describing changes in the probability of fixation over time. Using the diffusion equation, the probability of fixation of deleterious alleles can also be determined for populations that are changing in size. The results developed in this paper can be used to estimate the fixation flux, defined as the rate at which beneficial alleles fix within a population. The fixation flux measures the rate of adaptive evolution of a population and, as we shall see, depends strongly on changes that occur in population size.


Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 162 (4) ◽  
pp. 1837-1847 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Duret ◽  
Marie Semon ◽  
Gwenaël Piganeau ◽  
Dominique Mouchiroud ◽  
Nicolas Galtier

AbstractTo understand the origin and evolution of isochores—the peculiar spatial distribution of GC content within mammalian genomes—we analyzed the synonymous substitution pattern in coding sequences from closely related species in different mammalian orders. In primate and cetartiodactyls, GC-rich genes are undergoing a large excess of GC → AT substitutions over AT → GC substitutions: GC-rich isochores are slowly disappearing from the genome of these two mammalian orders. In rodents, our analyses suggest both a decrease in GC content of GC-rich isochores and an increase in GC-poor isochores, but more data will be necessary to assess the significance of this pattern. These observations question the conclusions of previous works that assumed that base composition was at equilibrium. Analysis of allele frequency in human polymorphism data, however, confirmed that in the GC-rich parts of the genome, GC alleles have a higher probability of fixation than AT alleles. This fixation bias appears not strong enough to overcome the large excess of GC → AT mutations. Thus, whatever the evolutionary force (neutral or selective) at the origin of GC-rich isochores, this force is no longer effective in mammals. We propose a model based on the biased gene conversion hypothesis that accounts for the origin of GC-rich isochores in the ancestral amniote genome and for their decline in present-day mammals.


Genome ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
I A.P Parkin ◽  
A G Sharpe ◽  
D J Lydiate

The progenitor diploid genomes (A and C) of the amphidiploid Brassica napus are extensively duplicated with 73% of genomic clones detecting two or more duplicate sequences within each of the diploid genomes. This comprehensive duplication of loci is to be expected in a species that has evolved through a polyploid ancestor. The majority of the duplicate loci within each of the diploid genomes were found in distinct linkage groups as collinear blocks of linked loci, some of which had undergone a variety of rearrangements subsequent to duplication, including inversions and translocations. A number of identical rearrangements were observed in the two diploid genomes, suggesting they had occurred before the divergence of the two species. A number of linkage groups displayed an organization consistent with centric fusion and (or) fission, suggesting this mechanism may have played a role in the evolution of Brassica genomes. For almost every genetically mapped locus detected in the A genome a homologous locus was found in the C genome; the collinear arrangement of these homologous markers allowed the primary regions of homoeology between the two genomes to be identified. At least 16 gross chromosomal rearrangements differentiated the two diploid genomes during their divergence from a common ancestor.Key words: genome evolution, Brassicaeae, polyploidy, homoeologous linkage groups.


Genome ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 677-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Lakhotia

The 93D locus in Drosophila melanogaster and the 93D-like loci in other species of Drosophila, collectively termed hsr ω (heat shock RNA omega) locus, display several unique and intriguing features: (i) developmental regulation and selective induction by several agents like benzamide, colchicine, thiamphenicol, vit-B6; (ii) functional conservation in the genus but a very rapid DNA base sequence divergence; (iii) in spite of the rapid DNA sequence divergence, a strong conservation of organization (a 5′ unique region and a 3′ long tandem repeat region) and the pattern of multiple ω transcripts in the genus; (iv) a general nontranslatability of all the three major species of ω transcripts (an ~ 10-kb ω1, a 2.0-kb ω2, and a 1.2-kb ω3 species) although some recent evidence favours translatability of a small open reading frame (~ 23 – 27 amino acid long) in the ω3 transcript; (v) dispensability of the hsr ω locus for heat shock protein synthesis but indispensability for viability of flies. The heat shock inducibility of the 93D locus of D. melanogaster is selectively repressed by (i) combination of heat shock with another inducer of 93D; (ii) rearing of larvae at 10 °C; (iii) heterozygous deficiency for the 93D region; and (iv) conditions that alter levels of beta-alanine. In all cases of repression of the 93D locus during heat shock, the 87A and 87C loci (the two duplicate loci harbouring multiple copies for hsp70 and the alpha–beta repeat sequences (at 87C)) develop unequal puffs. The hsr ω locus appears to be under a complex system of regulation involving autoregulation as well as regulation by other factors in the cell which possibly operate through different control elements on the locus.Key words: benzamide, colchicine, beta-alanine, hsr ω, heat shock puffs, Drosophila.


1996 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannis Michalakis ◽  
Montgomery Slatkin

SummaryWe investigated the interaction of recombination and selection on the process of fixation of two linked loci with epistatic interactions in fitness. We consider both the probability of fixation of newly arising mutants (the static model) and the time to fixation under continued mutation (the dynamic model). Our results show that the fixation of a new advantageous combination is facilitated by higher fitness of the advantageous genotype and by weaker selection against the intermediate deleterious genotypes. Fixation occurs more rapidly when the recombination rates are small, except when selection against intermediate genotypes is weak and selection in favour of the double mutant is very strong. In these cases fixation is more rapid when the recombinant rate is large. Mutations of strong effects, deleterious when alone but beneficial when coupled, are fixed more easily than mutations of intermediate effects, at least for large recombination rates. Among the possible pathways the process of fixation might follow, independent substitutions lead to the fixation of the double mutant only when selection is weak. The relative importance of the other pathways depends on the interaction between recombination and selection. The coupled-gamete pathway (i.e. when the population waits until the double mutant appears and then drives it to fixation) is more important as selection intensity increases and the recombination rate is reduced. For all recombination rates, asymmetries in fitness of the intermediate genotypes increase the rate at which fixations occur. Finally, throughout the fixation process, the population will be monomorphic at least at one of the two loci for most of the time, which implies that there would be little opportunity to detect the presence of negative epistasis even if it were important for occasional evolutionary transitions.


1982 ◽  
Vol 20 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 929-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Zouros ◽  
W. van Delden ◽  
R. Odense ◽  
H. van Dijk

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document