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Functional Evolution (functional + evolution)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Life Sciences	75%

Selected Abstracts

Structural and Functional Evolution of a Library of Constitutional Dynamic Polymers Driven by Alkali Metal Ion Recognition,

ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE, Issue 41 2009
Shunsuke Fujii
Passend gefaltet: Bibliotheken dynamischer Polymere, die durch Polykondensation erzeugt wurden und reversible Iminbindungen enthalten, können unter der doppelten Wirkung von Donor-Akzeptor-Stapelung und Metallionenbindung eine stimulierte Evolution eingehen (siehe Bild). Die spezifischen Bindungsweisen der Alkalimetallionen gehen mit spezifischen Konstitutionsänderungen sowie unterschiedlichen optischen Eigenschaften einher, die von der Anwesenheit und den Positionen der Donor- und Akzeptoreinheiten im gefalteten Dynamer abhängen. [source]

Functional evolution of Hox proteins in arthropods

BIOESSAYS, Issue 9 2002
Michel Vervoort
It is presumed that the evolution of morphological diversity in animals and plants is driven by changes in the developmental processes that govern morphology, hence basically by changes in the function and/or expression of a defined set of genes that control these processes. A large body of evidence has suggested that changes in developmental gene regulation are the predominant mechanisms that sustain morphological evolution, being much more important than the evolution of the primary sequences and functions of proteins. Recent reports1, 2 challenge this idea by highlighting functional evolution of Hox proteins during the evolutionary history of arthropods. BioEssays 24:775,779, 2002. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Comparative genomics and the study of evolution by natural selection

MOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 21 2008
HANS ELLEGREN
Abstract Genomics profoundly affects most areas of biology, including ecology and evolutionary biology. By examining genome sequences from multiple species, comparative genomics offers new insight into genome evolution and the way natural selection moulds DNA sequence evolution. Functional divergence, as manifested in the accumulation of nonsynonymous substitutions in protein-coding genes, differs among lineages in a manner seemingly related to population size. For example, the ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution (dN/dS) is higher in apes than in rodents, compatible with Ohta's nearly neutral theory of molecular evolution, which suggests that the fixation of slightly deleterious mutations contributes to protein evolution at an extent negatively correlated with effective population size. While this supports the idea that functional evolution is not necessarily adaptive, comparative genomics is uncovering a role for positive Darwinian selection in 10,40% of all genes in different lineages, estimates that are likely to increase when the addition of more genomes gives increased power. Again, population size seems to matter also in this context, with a higher proportion of fixed amino acid changes representing advantageous mutations in large populations. Genes that are particularly prone to be driven by positive selection include those involved with reproduction, immune response, sensory perception and apoptosis. Genetic innovations are also frequently obtained by the gain or loss of complete gene sequences. Moreover, it is increasingly realized, from comparative genomics, that purifying selection conserves much more than just the protein-coding part of the genome, and this points at an important role for regulatory elements in trait evolution. Finally, genome sequencing using outbred or multiple individuals has provided a wealth of polymorphism data that gives information on population history, demography and marker evolution. [source]