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Evolutionary rate of cistrons and DNA divergence

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Summary

The ratio of DNA divergence to cistron divergence was estimated for various comparisons ofDrosophila and mammalian species. It was shown that a negative correlation exists between this ratio and the length of one generation. It was proposed that the majority of the amino acid substitutions in evolution are the result of random fixation of nearly neutral mutations for which selection intensity fluctuates considerably but the average selection coefficient is very slightly negative. On the other hand, the evolutionary rate of DNA divergence is negatively correlated with the generation time if the majority of mutations are completely neutral and if mutation rate at the nucleotide level is mildly dependent on the generation time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Genetics, Yata 1, 111, 411, Mishima Shizuoka-ken, Japan

    Tomoko Ohta

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  1. Tomoko Ohta
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Contribution No. 845 from the National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuokaken 411 Japan. Aided in part by a grant-in-aid from the Ministry of Education, Japan.

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Ohta, T. Evolutionary rate of cistrons and DNA divergence. J Mol Evol 1, 150–157 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01659161

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01659161

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