SCIENCE@home

The look-ahead effect of phenotypic mutations

Dion Whitehead,C. Wilke,David Vernazobres,E. Bornberg-Bauer

Published 2007 in Biology Direct

ABSTRACT

BackgroundThe evolution of complex molecular traits such as disulphide bridges often requires multiple mutations. The intermediate steps in such evolutionary trajectories are likely to be selectively neutral or deleterious. Therefore, large populations and long times may be required to evolve such traits.ResultsWe propose that errors in transcription and translation may allow selection for the intermediate mutations, if the final trait provides a large enough selective advantage. We test this hypothesis using a population based model of protein evolution.ConclusionIf an individual acquires one of two mutations needed for a novel trait, the second mutation can be introduced into the phenotype due to transcription and translation errors. If the novel trait is advantageous enough, the allele with only one mutation will spread through the population, even though the gene sequence does not yet code for the complettrait. Thus, errors allow protein sequences to "look-ahead" for a more direct path to a complex trait.ReviewersThis article was reviewed by Eugene Koonin, Subhajyoti De (nomimated by Madan Babu), and David Krakauer.

PUBLICATION RECORD

CITATION MAP

EXTRACTION MAP

CLAIMS

  • No claims are published for this paper.

CONCEPTS

  • No concepts are published for this paper.

REFERENCES

Showing 1-53 of 53 references · Page 1 of 1

CITED BY

Showing 1-81 of 81 citing papers · Page 1 of 1