Year: 2002
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: DNA sequences of genes encoding functional RNA molecules (e.g., ribosomal RNAs) are commonly used in phylogenetics (i.e. to infer evolutionary history). Trees derived from ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences, however, are inconsistent with other molecular data in investigations of deep branches in the tree of life. Since much of te functional constraints on the gene products (i.e. RNA molecules) relate to three-dimensional structure, rather than their actual sequences, accumulated mutations in the gene sequences may obscure phylogenetic signal over very large evolutionary time-scales. Variation in structure, however, may be suitable for phylogenetic inference even under extreme sequence divergence. To evaluate qualitatively the manner in which structural evolution relates to sequence change, we simulated the evolution of RNA sequences under various constraints on structural change.
Authors: Will Fischer, Nicholas Geard
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2525142698