Research

The look-ahead effect of phenotypic mutations

Dion J Whitehead^1* , Claus O Wilke^2* , David Vernazobres¹ and Erich Bornberg-Bauer¹

¹  Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, The Westphalian Wilhelms University of Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany

²  Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics and Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA

author email corresponding author email* Contributed equally

Biology Direct 2008, 3:18doi:10.1186/1745-6150-3-18

Published:	14 May 2008

Abstract

Background

The evolution of complex molecular traits such as disulphide bridges often requires multiple mutations. The intermediate steps in such evolutionary trajectories are likely to be selectively neutral or deleterious. Therefore, large populations and long times may be required to evolve such traits.

Results

We propose that errors in transcription and translation may allow selection for the intermediate mutations, if the final trait provides a large enough selective advantage. We test this hypothesis using a population based model of protein evolution.

Conclusion

If an individual acquires one of two mutations needed for a novel trait, the second mutation can be introduced into the phenotype due to transcription and translation errors. If the novel trait is advantageous enough, the allele with only one mutation will spread through the population, even though the gene sequence does not yet code for the complettrait. Thus, errors allow protein sequences to "look-ahead" for a more direct path to a complex trait.

Reviewers

This article was reviewed by Eugene Koonin, Subhajyoti De (nomimated by Madan Babu), and David Krakauer.