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On the rate of DNA sequence evolution inDrosophila

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Summary

Analysis of the rate of nucleotide substitution at silent sites inDrosophila genes reveals three main points. First, the silent rate varies (by a factor of two) among nuclear genes; it is inversely related to the degree of codon usage bias, and so selection among synonymous codons appears to constrain the rate of silent substitution in some genes. Second, mitochondrial genes may have evolved only as fast as nuclear genes with weak codon usage bias (and two times faster than nuclear genes with high codon usage bias); this is quite different from the situation in mammals where mitochondrial genes evolve approximately 5–10 times faster than nuclear genes. Third, the absolute rate of substitution at silent sites in nuclear genes inDrosophila is about three times hihger than the average silent rate in mammals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, Trinity College, 2, Dublin, Ireland

    Paul M. Sharp

  2. Center for Demographic and Population Genetics, University of Texas, PO Box 20334, 77225, Houston, Texas, USA

    Paul M. Sharp & Wen-Hsiung Li

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  1. Paul M. Sharp
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  2. Wen-Hsiung Li
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Sharp, P.M., Li, WH. On the rate of DNA sequence evolution inDrosophila . J Mol Evol 28, 398–402 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02603075

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02603075

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