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Gene evolution and drug discovery.

James O McInerney¹, Caroline S Finnerty, Jennifer M Commins

¹Bioinformatics and Pharmacogenomics Laboratory, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, County Kildare.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)

|May 5, 2006

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Evolutionary analysis of DNA and protein sequences reveals past selective pressures. Understanding this history aids in identifying functionally important residues and informs drug discovery.

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Genomics
Molecular biology

Background:

Gene and protein sequences are shaped by mutation and selection.
Mutation introduces variation, while selection removes it.
Functionally important sequences often bear signatures of past selective pressures.

Purpose of the Study:

To review methods for inferring the evolutionary history of DNA and protein sequences.
To demonstrate the utility of evolutionary sequence analysis in drug discovery.

Main Methods:

Examination of DNA sequence history.
Analysis of protein sequence evolution.
Inferring functional importance and selective pressures from sequence data.

Main Results:

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Evolutionary history can reveal functionally critical residues.
Past selective pressures can be identified through sequence analysis.
These analyses provide insights into sequence function and evolution.

Conclusions:

Inferring evolutionary history is key to understanding sequence function.
Methods for analyzing sequence evolution have significant applications in drug discovery.