Intro to Molecular Evolution
Key Points of Investigation:
What factors determine the rate at which genomes generate and fix mutations?
Genomic:
- Genomic structure
- Polymerase fidelity
- Error repair mechanisms
- Genome size
- Strandedness (time spent in single vs. double strand state)
- Location on Genome (week 2:What factors influence "neutral" mutation rates)
Environmental:
- Chemical
- Spontaneous deamination (week 2:Chromosome location)
Lingering Question: Do spontaneous mutations occur in a pattern and if so, can they be predicted or experimentally induced? Are there constraints to "spontaneity"? Are spontaneous and random the same thing?
page revision: 6, last edited: 24 Apr 2011 23:16