Population Genomics: Whole-Genome Analysis Of Polymorphism And Divergence In Drosophila Simulans

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Genetics
Article Date: 05 Nov 2007 - 17:00 PDT

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Population genomics, the study of genome-wide patterns of sequence variation within and between closely related species, can provide a comprehensive view of the relative importance of mutation, recombination, natural selection, and genetic drift in evolution. It can also provide fundamental insights into the biological attributes of organisms specifically shaped by adaptation.

One approach for generating population genomic datasets is to align DNA sequences from whole genome shotgun projects to a standard reference sequence. In the latest issue of the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Dr. David Begun, Dr. Charles Langley, and colleagues use this approach to carry out whole genome analysis of polymorphism and divergence in Drosophila simulans, a close relative of the model system, D. melanogaster.

They find that polymorphism and divergence fluctuate on a large scale across the genome and that these fluctuations are probably explained by natural selection rather than by variation in mutation rates. Their analysis suggests that adaptive protein evolution is common, and is often related to biological processes that may be associated with gene expression, chromosome biology and movement, and male reproduction. The approaches presented here will have broad applicability to future analysis of population genomic variation in other systems, including humans.

Citation: Begun DJ, Holloway AK, Stevens K, Hillier LW, Poh YP, et al. (2007) Population genomics: whole-genome analysis of polymorphism and divergence in Drosophila simulans. PLoS Biol 5(11): e310. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0050310
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