Very slightly deleterious mutations and the molecular clock
Abstract
The model of very slightly deleterious mutations was examined from the standpoint of population genetics in relation to the molecular evolutionary clock. The distribution of selection coefficients of mutants (in terms of amino acid changes) with small effect is thought to be continuous around zero, with an average negative value. The variance of selection coefficients depends upon environmental diversity and hence on total population size of a species. By considering various examples of amino acid substitutions, the average and standard error of selection coefficients and the reciprocal of population size are assumed to have similar values. The model predicts negative correlation between evolutionary rate and population size. This effect is expected to be partially cancelled with the generation time effect of intrinsic mutation rate. Implications of this prediction on the molecular evolutionary clock are discussed.
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The fixation of nearly-neutral alleles of small selective effect is expected to be greatest in small populations.
“Therefore, the fixation of nearly-neutral alleles of small selective effect is expected to be greatest in small populations 23,24 .”
From The modern molecular clock (2003) · cites this paper as [23]
Tomoko Ohta provided an important extension of the neutral theory by recognizing the crucial role of effective population size in the influence of selection.
“Tomoko Ohta 22-24 provided an important extension of the neutral theory by recognizing the crucial role of effective population size in the influence of selection.”
From The modern molecular clock (2003) · cites this paper as [23]
A mutation would be effectively neutral if |s| < 1/4N_e, where N_e is the effective population size.
“So, a mutation would be effectively neutral if |s| < 1/4N e , where N e is the effective population size.”
From The modern molecular clock (2003) · cites this paper as [23]
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- Authors
- Ohta, T.
- Affiliations
- National Institute of Genetics (JP)
- Corresponding author
- Ohta, Tomoko
- Venue
- Journal of Molecular Evolution
- Published
- 1987-11
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 1-2
- Pages
- 1-6
- ISSN
- 0022-2844 (ISSN-L)
- 1432-1432
- OpenAlex
- W1965032858
- Cited by
- 101
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 6 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 0.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of Molecular Evolution (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Keywords
- slightly deleterious mutations, molecular clock, selection coefficients, amino acid substitutions, population size, evolutionary rates, generation time, mutation rate, molecular evolution
- MeSH terms
- Amino Acids, DNA, Biological Evolution, Models, Genetic, Mutation, Proteins, Selection, Genetic
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