Molecular Evolution Activities
 

This is a comprehensive bibliography (under construction) of primary and secondary sources on the neutral theory of molecular evolution. It currently covers the period 1973-2001.

Author :

Ina, Y.;Mizokami, M.;Ohba, K.;Gojobori, T.

Year :

1994

Title :

Reduction of Synonymous Substitutions in the Core Protein Gene of Hepatitis-C Virus

Journal :

Journal of Molecular Evolution

Volume :

38

Issue :

1

Pages :

50-56

Date :

Jan

Short Title :

Reduction of Synonymous Substitutions in the Core Protein Gene of Hepatitis-C Virus

Alternate Journal :

J. Mol. Evol.

Custom 2 :

ISI:A1994MN38200006

Abstract :

Molecular evolutionary analyses were carried out to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships, the evolutionary rate, and the divergence times of hepatitis C viruses. Using the nucleotide sequences of the viruses isolated from various locations in the world, we constructed phylogenetic trees. The trees showed that strains isolated from a single location were not necessarily clustered as a group. This suggests that the viruses may be transferred with blood on a worldwide scale. We estimated the evolutionary rates at synonymous and nonsynonymous sites for all genes in the viral genome. We then found that the rate (1.35x10(-3) per site per year) at synonymous sites for the C gene was much smaller than those for the other genes (e.g., 6.29x10(-3) per site per year for the E gene). This indicates that a special type of functional constraint an synonymous substitutions may exist in the C gene. Because we found an open reading frame (ORF) with the C gene region, the possibility exists that synonymous substitutions for the C gene are constrained by the overlapping ORF whose reading frame is different from that of the C gene. Applying the evolutionary rates to the trees, we also suggest that major groups of hepatitis C viruses diverged from their common ancestor several hundred years ago.

Notes :

Times Cited: 33 MN382 J MOL EVOL
 -- contributed by John Beatty, March 29, 2002