Gene Structure: Evolution

Tomoko Ohta, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan

Published online: March 2008

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0005301.pub2

Two fundamental processes in the evolution of gene structure in populations are the production of variations by mutations and the natural selection that filters these variations. Mutations occur randomly in genomes of germ cell lineages and are rejected or selected for, so that genes perform needed functions. As a result of minute effects of most mutations, both genetic drift and natural selection influence their fate in a population.

Keywords: nucleotide substitution; gene duplication; natural selection; random genetic drift

 Further Reading
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Related Sub-Topics:

Molecular Evolution | Protein Evolution | Variation by Mutation and Recombination | Evolution of Coding and Functional Modules
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Article Title: Gene Structure: Evolution
 
How to Cite close
Ohta, Tomoko(Mar 2008) Gene Structure: Evolution. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0005301.pub2]