TITLE:
Detecting Variation in the Rate of Molecular Evolution in Different Lineages of Mammals
AUTHORS:
Sammer M. Marzouk
KEYWORDS:
Molecular Evolution, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Bioinfomatics
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Statistics,
Vol.8 No.5,
September
20,
2018
ABSTRACT: A major research topic within molecular evolution
studies is to understand more about the causes of the molecular evolutionary
patterns that are recorded within and between taxa. The amount of germ cell
divisions in females and males causes the majority of mutations, during DNA
replication, that impact molecular evolution. In an XX female and an XY male
system of diploid animals, the autosomes come in duplicates, with one copy from
the male and female parent. Because of this, the idea that evolution is driven
by male mutations has become increasingly more likely. This paper looks at the
different male-mutation rates and determines that the male-mutation rate is
much higher than female-mutation rates. Ry/a to be approximately 2.2, which
means that Ry is approximately -24.2. From software analysis, x was approximated
to be about 0.5. And since x and Ry are known, Ry/x was determined to be -49.
The results for this paper show the calculated Rx/a and Ry/a are similar to the
results of another study, but they are unique in that they produced a
relatively high negative number for the Ry/a, which was about -49. This
provides evidence that the male-mutation rate is higher than the
female-mutation rate. This is interesting because this suggests that, from the
data, the mutation rate in males is the defining force in molecular evolution.
And because the rate goes beyond the prescribed model, future models of
molecular systems will need to consider the rate of male mutations, as well as
clarifying this male-mutation rate and calculating the rate of mutation in
other sex-determinant systems.