Podcast
Questions and Answers
What does the McDonald-Kreitman (MK) test compare to determine if a gene is evolving neutrally?
What does the McDonald-Kreitman (MK) test compare to determine if a gene is evolving neutrally?
- The ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions within a species and the ratio between species
- The number of polymorphic differences within a species and the number of fixed differences between species
- The rate of non-synonymous and synonymous substitutions within a species
- The rate of evolution within a species and the rate of evolution between species (correct)
According to the neutral theory of molecular evolution, what should be true about the evolutionary rate of a gene?
According to the neutral theory of molecular evolution, what should be true about the evolutionary rate of a gene?
- The evolutionary rate should be constant both within and between species (correct)
- The evolutionary rate should be variable within a species but constant between species
- The evolutionary rate should be variable both within and between species
- The evolutionary rate should be constant within a species but variable between species
What can a significant p-value in the MK test (i.e. p < 0.05) suggest about the evolution of a gene?
What can a significant p-value in the MK test (i.e. p < 0.05) suggest about the evolution of a gene?
- The gene is under positive selection (correct)
- The gene is evolving randomly
- The gene is under purifying selection
- The gene is evolving neutrally
What does it mean if the ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions within a species is less than the ratio between species in the MK test?
What does it mean if the ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions within a species is less than the ratio between species in the MK test?
What is the purpose of the HKA (Hudson-Kreitman-Aguadé) test?
What is the purpose of the HKA (Hudson-Kreitman-Aguadé) test?
Which of the following is not a characteristic of the neutral theory of molecular evolution?
Which of the following is not a characteristic of the neutral theory of molecular evolution?
What does an insignificant p-value in the MK test for Positive Selection suggest?
What does an insignificant p-value in the MK test for Positive Selection suggest?
When the rate of evolution is GREATER within species than between species, what could it indicate?
When the rate of evolution is GREATER within species than between species, what could it indicate?
What is the significance of the HKA test in genetics?
What is the significance of the HKA test in genetics?
In the context of Positive Selection, what does a reduced rate of variation within species due to a sweep suggest?
In the context of Positive Selection, what does a reduced rate of variation within species due to a sweep suggest?
If the rate of evolution is ~equal within and between species, what evolutionary process does it suggest?
If the rate of evolution is ~equal within and between species, what evolutionary process does it suggest?
What could be a possible reason for redoing tests on only polymorphisms at medium frequency (>10% in population)?
What could be a possible reason for redoing tests on only polymorphisms at medium frequency (>10% in population)?
What is the purpose of the HKA test?
What is the purpose of the HKA test?
According to the neutral theory of molecular evolution, what is the relationship between the number of segregating sites (S) within a species and the number of divergent sites (D) between species?
According to the neutral theory of molecular evolution, what is the relationship between the number of segregating sites (S) within a species and the number of divergent sites (D) between species?
What does the HKA test assume about the effective population size ($N_e$) and mutation rate ($
u$) across multiple genes?
What does the HKA test assume about the effective population size ($N_e$) and mutation rate ($ u$) across multiple genes?
If the HKA test rejects the null hypothesis of neutral evolution, what does this indicate?
If the HKA test rejects the null hypothesis of neutral evolution, what does this indicate?
What is the purpose of comparing the level of polymorphism within a species to the level of divergence between species?
What is the purpose of comparing the level of polymorphism within a species to the level of divergence between species?
How does the HKA test use the number of segregating sites (S) within a species and the number of divergent sites (D) between species to test for neutral evolution?
How does the HKA test use the number of segregating sites (S) within a species and the number of divergent sites (D) between species to test for neutral evolution?
