Detecting non-neutral heterogeneity across a region of DNA sequence in the ratio of polymorphism to divergence |
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Authors: | McDonald JH |
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Institution: | Department of Biology, University of Delaware, Newark 19716, USA. |
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Abstract: | Natural selection, in the form of balancing selection or selective sweeps,
can result in a decoupling of the amounts of molecular polymorphism and
divergence. Thus natural selection can cause some areas of DNA sequence to
have greater silent polymorphism, relative to divergence between species,
than other areas. It would be useful to have a statistical test for
heterogeneity in the polymorphism to divergence ratio across a region of
DNA sequence, one that could identify heterogeneity greater than that
expected from the neutral processes of mutation, drift, and recombination.
The only currently available test requires that a region be arbitrarily
divided into sections that are compared with each other, and the
subjectivity of this division could be problematic. Here a test is proposed
in which runs of polymorphic and fixed sites are counted, where a "run" is
a set of one or more sites of one type preceded and followed by the other
type. The number of runs is smaller than otherwise expected if
polymorphisms are clumped together. By simulating neutral evolution and
comparing the observed number of runs to the simulations, a statistical
test is possible which does not require any a priori decisions about
subdivision.
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Keywords: | |
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