FOUNDATION
OF MOLECULAR
EVOLUTION
CHAPTER 1
TREE OF LIFE
From the time of Charles Darwin, many biologist dream
to construct evolutionary history of all organism.
The approach is to use fossil record,incomplete. Used
comparative method (morphology and physiology)-
complex.
Recent advance in mol bio, evolutionary relationship can
be studied.
CONT
This aproach has several adv:
DNA consist of 5 nucleotides, A, T,G,C= can be used to
compare bact, animal, plant and human.
Evolutionary change of DNA follow regular pattern, possible
to use mathematical model to formulate the change and
compare DNAs from diff related org.
Genomes contains lots of information than morphological
character.
CONT
Phylogenetics is less controversial than systematics/
taxonomy because its concerned the evolutionary
relationship of org.
Phylogenetics play important role in developing
scientific basis of systematics, solve problems of the
latter discipline.
MECHANISM OF EVOLUTION
The cause of evolution= mutational change of genes
(nucleotide substitution, recombination, gene conversion
etc).
If mutant gene produces new
morphological/physiological character, it will be
inherited.
Therefore, if we establish a valid phylogenetic tree for a
group of species, we are able to identify to lineage of
species in which any specific character appeared by
mutation.
CONT
Determination of the relative importance of mutation is
an important subject in population genetics.
Here the problem is not the phylogenetic tree of different
species but of different alleles within species.
Phylogenetic analysis of polymorphic alleles may also
give important about the extent of gene flow between
two populations.
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF GENES
Genes can be classified into two groups; protein-coding
genes and RNA-coding genes.
Protein-coding genes- mRNA-a.a of proteins
RNA-coding genes-tRNA, rRNA,snRNA.
Genetic information is transfered to mRNA-
transcription.
Basic structure of eukaryotic protein -coding gene in relation to
transcription and translation
CONT
The genetic code for nuclear genes is universal for both
prokaryotes and eukaryotes with few exceptions.
MUTATIONAL CHANGES OF DNA
SEQUENCES
All morphological n physiological character is
controlled by gen. information carried by DNA,
any mutational changes are due to DNA changes
(substitution, deletion, insertion and inversion)
Nucleotide substitution can be divided into two
classes: transitions and transversion.
Transition=substitution of purine
(A,G)/pyrimidine (T,C) to another
purine/pyrimidine.
Transversion= other nucleotide substitution (rare)
CONT
The possible role of unequal crossover in increasing the
number of genes in the genime has been known for many
years.
However, only after the initiation of molecular study of DNA
has it been realised that it plays an important role in evolution
in increasing/ decreasing DNA content.
CODON USAGE
If nucleotide substitution occurs at random nucleotide
side, every nucleotide site is expected to have 1 of the 4
nucleotides (A, T, G, C) with equal probability.
If there is no selection/ mutational bias, codon encoding
a.a are in equal frequency in protein coding region.
Eg: a.a Valine encoded by GUU, GUC, GUA and GUG.
If we examine the val in genes, frequency of all 4
equally to 25%.
CONT
In val, the codon are used equally but in arg, CGU and
CGC are used exclusively.
This codon bias usage is generally observed in both prok
and euk genes.
Cause of codon usage bias:
Itis correlated with the relative abundance of the
isoaccepting tRNA in the cell.
Biased mutation pressure
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