Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

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?

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

Viral Mutations

Viral Mutations

A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...

Viruses with RNA Genomes

Viruses with RNA Genomes

RNA viruses are categorized into positive-strand, negative-strand, or double-stranded groups based on their genomic structure and replication mechanisms. This classification dictates how they exploit host cellular machinery for protein synthesis and replication. Some RNA viruses also utilize reverse transcription as part of their life cycle, further diversifying their replication strategies.Positive-Strand RNA VirusesPositive-strand RNA viruses have genomes that function directly as messenger...

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...

Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins

Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins

Protein domains are small structurally independent units that are part of a single amino acid chain. Although these domains are often structurally independent, they may rely on synergistic effects to perform their functions as part of a larger protein. Protein domains may be conserved within the same organism, as well as across different organisms.
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Spatially resolved m<sup>6</sup>A profiling using m<sup>6</sup>A-ARTR-DBiT.

Nature methods·2026

Same author

Navigating luminal heterogeneity: etiology-based proteogenomic subtyping for targeted treatment strategies in breast cancer.

Molecular cancer·2026

Same author

Activating the cellular scavenger: A bioactive hydrogel promotes diabetic wounds via plant exosome-like nanovesicles enhanced macrophage efferocytosis.

Bioactive materials·2026

Same author

Testing Weismann's germ plasm theory in Arabidopsis.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same author

Single intravitreal injection of lipid nanoparticles delivering circular mRNA of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase protects against dry AMD.

Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society·2026

Same author

Integrative proteogenomics maps multifactorial aetiology, progression and therapeutic vulnerabilities in gastric cancer.

Gut·2026

Same journal

Host Range Breadth Correlates with Genic Diversity in Honeybee Phages.

Genome biology and evolution·2026

Same journal

Genome-wide analysis of an endangered axolotl endemic to Mexico reveals genomic variation associated with body condition, environment and infection by a pathogenic fungus.

Genome biology and evolution·2026

Same journal

Conservation of IAMT preference for indole acetic acid methylation across 250 million years of seed plant divergence, with only one recent evolutionary switch in Ocimum.

Genome biology and evolution·2026

Same journal

Regulatory logic and transposable element dynamics in Caenorhabditis genomes.

Genome biology and evolution·2026

Same journal

Interchromosomal translocations and large deletions drive the evolution of the outlier chromosome in the smallest photosynthetic eukaryote.

Genome biology and evolution·2026

Same journal

Chromosome-scale genome assemblies of duckweeds provide insights into genomic plasticity, aquatic adaptation and morphological reduction.

Genome biology and evolution·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 13, 2025

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency

Published on: June 16, 2011

The Missing Expression Level-Evolutionary Rate Anticorrelation in Viruses Does Not Support Protein Function as a Main

Changshuo Wei^1,2, Yan-Ming Chen^1,2, Ying Chen¹

¹State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Genome Biology and Evolution

|March 13, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Viral protein evolution rates do not correlate with gene expression levels, challenging the widely accepted expression-rate (E-R) anticorrelation. This suggests protein function, not cytotoxicity, is the primary driver of sequence evolution in cellular organisms.

Keywords:

avoidance of cytotoxicity gene expression level maintenance of protein function protein evolutionary rate protein homeostasis the E–R anticorrelation

More Related Videos

An Assay for Quantifying Protein-RNA Binding in Bacteria

An Assay for Quantifying Protein-RNA Binding in Bacteria

Published on: June 12, 2019

An Integrated Approach for Microprotein Identification and Sequence Analysis

An Integrated Approach for Microprotein Identification and Sequence Analysis

Published on: July 12, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 13, 2025

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency

Published on: June 16, 2011

An Assay for Quantifying Protein-RNA Binding in Bacteria

An Assay for Quantifying Protein-RNA Binding in Bacteria

Published on: June 12, 2019

An Integrated Approach for Microprotein Identification and Sequence Analysis

An Integrated Approach for Microprotein Identification and Sequence Analysis

Published on: July 12, 2022

Area of Science:

Molecular evolutionary biology
Protein evolution
Genomics

Background:

The rate of protein sequence evolution varies significantly among proteins.
Gene expression level is considered the main factor influencing protein evolutionary rate, leading to the expression-rate (E-R) anticorrelation.
Selective constraints, such as maintaining protein function or avoiding cytotoxicity, are hypothesized to cause the E-R anticorrelation.

Purpose of the Study:

To empirically test the relative importance of protein function versus cytotoxicity in driving selective constraints.
To investigate the E-R anticorrelation in viral proteins to distinguish between these hypotheses.

Main Methods:

Comparative sequence analysis of viral proteins, including SARS-CoV-2 and ten other virus species.
Analysis of human endogenous retroviruses as a control.
Examining the relationship between gene expression levels and protein evolutionary rates.

Main Results:

A complete absence of the E-R anticorrelation was observed in the analyzed viral proteins.
The E-R anticorrelation was present in human endogenous retroviruses, where selection against cytotoxicity is expected.
These findings indicate relaxed purifying selection against cytotoxicity in viral proteins.

Conclusions:

The study challenges the prevailing hypothesis that gene expression level is the primary determinant of protein evolutionary rates in cellular organisms.
The results suggest that the maintenance of protein function, rather than avoidance of cytotoxicity, is the main constraint on protein sequence evolution.
Viral protein evolution provides a unique model system for dissecting the forces shaping sequence evolution.