Subject(s): CX.16, CX.35, BG.10, BG.2, BG.1

Category: Review Article

Abstract:

Efficient strategies for genome evolution emerge under the pressure of natural selection. These strategies provide a route through the space of possible genomes, and thus a selective advantage, as evolutionary innovation need not await the results of purely random mutation. Natural selection acts not only on individual gene products, but, at a higher level, on the mechanisms that generate diversity, and the sequence specificity of their actions. DNA sequences encode information that modulates the rate of genetic alteration; thus, genetic variation can become less probable at sites at which variation disturbs the active scaffold or other essential residues. The fittest strategies survive, along with the genomes that encode them.

Retrieve Manuscript

Submit referee report/comment