Testing the neutral hypothesis of phenotypic evolution

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Wei-Chin HoJianzhi Zhang

Abstract

Although evolution by natural selection is widely regarded as the most important principle of biology, it is unknown whether phenotypic variations within and between species are mostly adaptive or neutral due to the lack of relevant studies of large, unbiased samples of phenotypic traits. Here, we examine 210 yeast morphological traits chosen because of experimental feasibility irrespective of their potential adaptive values. Our analysis is based on the premise that, under neutrality, the rate of phenotypic evolution measured in the unit of mutational size declines as the trait becomes more important to fitness, analogous to the neutral paradigm that functional genes evolve more slowly than functionless pseudogenes. However, we find faster evolution of more important morphological traits within and between species, rejecting the neutral hypothesis. By contrast, an analysis of 3,466 gene expression traits fails to refute neutrality. Thus, at least in yeast, morphological evolution appears largely adaptive, but the same may not apply to other classes of phenotypes. Our neutrality test is applicable to other species, especially genetic model organisms, for which estimations of mutational size and trait importance are relatively s...Continue Reading

References

Jun 20, 1991·Nature·J H McDonald, M Kreitman
Jul 1, 1987·Molecular Biology and Evolution·N Saitou, M Nei
Jul 16, 1981·Nature·W H LiM Nei
Jan 22, 2004·Bioinformatics·Emmanuel ParadisKorbinian Strimmer
Oct 12, 2004·Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology·David PruyneAnthony Bretscher
Dec 14, 2004·Current Biology : CB·Paul Jorgensen, Mike Tyers
Jan 22, 2005·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Rachel B Brem, Leonid Kruglyak
Dec 21, 2005·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Yoshikazu OhyaShinichi Morishita
May 26, 2007·Science·Christian R LandryDaniel L Hartl
Jul 21, 2007·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Masatoshi Nei
Aug 19, 2008·The American Naturalist·J G KingsolverP Beerli
Feb 13, 2009·Nature·Gianni LitiEdward J Louis
Feb 6, 2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Hunter B FraserEric E Schadt
Feb 19, 2010·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Luke J Harmon, Richard E Glor
Mar 3, 2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·James H BullardRachel B Brem
Sep 30, 2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Zhi WangJianzhi Zhang
Feb 19, 2011·Nature Reviews. Genetics·Günter P Wagner, Jianzhi Zhang
Aug 23, 2012·Nature Communications·Francisco FerrezueloMartí Aldea
May 8, 2013·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Philipp W Messer, Dmitri A Petrov
Jul 3, 2013·Current Biology : CB·Alexi I GoranovAngelika Amon
Jul 5, 2013·BMC Systems Biology·Gaël YvertYoshikazu Ohya
Apr 12, 2014·Molecular Biology and Evolution·Wei-Chin Ho, Jianzhi Zhang
May 23, 2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Yuan O ZhuDmitri A Petrov
Nov 7, 2015·Molecular Biology of the Cell·Yoshikazu OhyaShinsuke Ohnuki
Oct 22, 2016·PLoS Biology·Kerry A Geiler-SamerotteMark L Siegal
May 5, 2017·Molecular Biology and Evolution·Calum J MacleanJianzhi Zhang

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 20, 2020·Systematic Biology·Joseph N KeatingRussell J Garwood
Jun 28, 2020·Molecular Biology and Evolution·Yalin ChengFumin Lei
Aug 9, 2020·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Daohan Jiang, Jianzhi Zhang
Apr 4, 2020·Molecular Biology and Evolution·Li LiuXionglei He
Apr 17, 2018·Molecular Biology and Evolution·Jianzhi Zhang
Oct 2, 2019·Current Opinion in Genetics & Development·Jeremy G WidemanW Ford Doolittle
Feb 24, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jianzhi Zhang, Haiqing Xu
Feb 24, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Hunter B Fraser
Sep 5, 2021·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Hamed SoleimaniSeyed Mohammad Javad Mirzapour Al-E-Hashem

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.