Analysis of a genetic hitchhiking model, and its application to DNA polymorphism data from Drosophila melanogaster |
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Authors: | Wiehe TH; Stephan W |
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Institution: | Department of Zoology, University of Maryland, College Park 20742. |
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Abstract: | Begun and Aquadro have demonstrated that levels of nucleotide variation
correlate with recombination rate among 20 gene regions from across the
genome of Drosophila melanogaster. It has been suggested that this
correlation results from genetic hitchhiking associated with the fixation
of strongly selected mutants. The hitchhiking process can be described as a
series of two-step events. The first step consists of a strongly selected
substitution wiping out linked variation in a population; this is followed
by a recovery period in which polymorphism can build up via neutral
mutations and random genetic drift. Genetic hitchhiking has previously been
modeled as a steady-state process driven by recurring selected
substitutions. We show here that the characteristic parameter of this
steady-state model is alpha v, the product of selection intensity (alpha =
2Ns) and the frequency of beneficial mutations v (where N is population
size and s is the selective advantage of the favored allele). We also
demonstrate that the steady-state model describes the hitchhiking process
adequately, unless the recombination rate is very low. To estimate alpha v,
we use the data of DNA sequence variation from 17 D. melanogaster loci from
regions of intermediate to high recombination rates. We find that alpha v
is likely to be > 1.3 x 10(-8). Additional data are needed to estimate
this parameter more precisely. The estimation of alpha v is important, as
this parameter determines the shape of the frequency distribution of
strongly selected substitutions.
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