Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...
Multi-species Conserved Sequences02:51

Multi-species Conserved Sequences

Next-generation sequencing technologies have created large genomic databases of a variety of animals and plants. Ever since the human genome project was completed, scientists studied the genome of primates, mammals, and other phylogenetically distant living beings. Such large-scale  studies have provided new insights into the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved DNA...
Gene Duplication and Divergence02:37

Gene Duplication and Divergence

The seminal work of Ohno in 1970 popularized the idea of gene duplication and divergence. DNA sequence comparison studies reveal that a large portion of the genes in bacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes was  generated by gene duplication and divergence, indicating its critical role in evolution.
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are characterized.
Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Genomic Signatures of Microgeographic Adaptation in Anopheles coluzzii Across Urban, Rural, and Forested Environments in Gabon.

Molecular ecology·2026
Same author

Population genomics of <i>Anopheles darlingi</i>, the principal South American malaria vector mosquito.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Babesia divergens host cell egress is mediated by essential and druggable kinases and proteases.

Nature microbiology·2026
Same author

Sialyl-T Antigen: A Novel Red Blood Cell Determinant for Plasmodium falciparum Invasion.

American journal of hematology·2025
Same author

Genes linked to schistosome resistance identified in a genome-wide association study of African snail vectors.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Population genomics of <i>Anopheles darlingi</i>, the principal South American malaria vector mosquito.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

A Deep-sequencing-assisted, Spontaneous Suppressor Screen in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe
07:55

A Deep-sequencing-assisted, Spontaneous Suppressor Screen in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Published on: March 7, 2019

Positive selection drives a correlation between non-synonymous/synonymous divergence and functional divergence.

Jacob A Tennessen1

  • 1Department of Zoology, 3029 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA. tennessj@science.oregonstate.edu

Bioinformatics (Oxford, England)
|April 30, 2008
PubMed
Summary

The ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous nucleotide divergence (d(N)/d(S)) accurately estimates adaptive functional divergence in proteins. This finding is supported by experimental data showing a correlation between d(N)/d(S) and functional divergence in antimicrobial peptides.

More Related Videos

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli
09:01

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli

Published on: March 16, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 5, 2026

A Deep-sequencing-assisted, Spontaneous Suppressor Screen in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe
07:55

A Deep-sequencing-assisted, Spontaneous Suppressor Screen in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Published on: March 7, 2019

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli
09:01

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli

Published on: March 16, 2011

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Protein functional divergence is often linked to natural selection.
  • The ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous nucleotide divergence (d(N)/d(S)) is a common proxy for natural selection.
  • Previous hypotheses linking d(N)/d(S) to functional divergence have rarely been experimentally validated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally test the relationship between natural selection and protein functional divergence.
  • To determine if the d(N)/d(S) ratio can accurately predict adaptive functional divergence.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a novel method to assess protein functional divergence.
  • Analysis of animal antimicrobial peptides for bacteria-killing activity.
  • Correlation analysis between functional divergence and the d(N)/d(S) ratio.

Main Results:

  • A positive correlation was observed between the divergence in bacteria-killing activity and the log of the d(N)/d(S) ratio in animal antimicrobial peptides.
  • Positively selected substitutions were found to alter protein function more significantly than neutral substitutions.
  • The d(N)/d(S) ratio was confirmed as an accurate estimator of adaptive functional divergence.

Conclusions:

  • Natural selection, as measured by d(N)/d(S), is a significant driver of adaptive functional divergence in proteins.
  • The d(N)/d(S) ratio provides a reliable quantitative measure for predicting functional divergence.
  • Experimental evidence supports the use of d(N)/d(S) in evolutionary and molecular studies.