Evolutionary studies

Stebbins, G. L. and Zohary, D. 1959. Cytogenetics and evolutionary studies in the genus Dactylis 1. Morphology, distribution and interrelationships of the diploid subspecies. Univ. Calif. Pub. Bot. 31 1-40. 

A seminal summary of the evolutionary study leading to the discovery of a unique type of M 1C, the final identification of the mechanism, and its control can be found in Daniel H. Pope, State-of-the-Art Report on Monitoring, Prevention and Mitigation of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion in the Natural Gas Industry, Report No. 96-0488, Gas Research Institute. 

Note that even evolutionary studies have moved to the molecular level over the last generation (mainly because this is the level at which genetics is now practiced). Using these studies to understand phenotypic evolution will require a molecular or, at least, a physical account of development. 

Tian, M., and Lewis, R. V. (2005). Molecular characterization and evolutionary study of spider tubuliform (eggcase) silk protein. Biochemistry 44, 8006-8012. 

With the advent of protein sequencing, also in the 1950s, attempts were made to study protein variation directly on the primary structure. However, the method was very expensive and time-consuming and could not be applied to population genetics. It remained confined to evolutionary study of differences between species (applied to molecular phylogenetics) and to the demonstration of sequence mutation in important heritable diseases. 

Nesse RM (1999) Proximate and evolutionary studies of anxiety, stress and depression synergy of interface. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 23 895-903... 

Huelsenbeck, J.P Rannala, B. Masly, J.P. (2000) Accommodating phylogenetic uncertainty in evolutionary studies. Science, 288, 2349-50. 

McKi (trick, F. A. (1964). Evolutionary studies of cockroaches. Cornell University Agricultural Experimental Station Memoirs 389 1-197. 

The involvement of fibrinogen in biological functions beyond hemostasis and thrombosis is a wide open field. Nearly all research has been carried out with human fibrinogen, with isolated studies of a few other mammals, frog, chicken, zebrafish, and lamprey. There have been few comparative and evolutionary studies. 

Nevertheless Smith/Waterman alignment still has significant utility in practical applications when the need for sensitivity is paramount and the dataset to be analyzed is relatively small. Many evolutionary studies focusing on individual proteins use Smith/Waterman alignment. Several public servers providing access to Smith/Waterman alignment exist (Table 2). 

Y. Tang 1996, Evolutionary Studies with a Catalytic Antibody, PhD thesis, The Scripps Research Institute. 

The DNA microarray technology has several applications. In the beginning it was applied for gene expression monitoring and then for mutation detection, mapping and evolutionary studies. Some of these aspects are discussed in this section. 

This appendix contains a listing of addresses and telephone numbers of importance in molecular evolutionary studies. 

Organisms from which molecular data are obtained should be properly identified and documented. This is important for systematic and evolutionary studies because knowledge of the species involved may be crucial to interpretation, because published sequence information may be utilized in ways other than for which it was initially obtained, and because verifiability is one of the tenets of empirical science. A sequence reported as coming from Genus sp. is, from a systematic standpoint, so poorly documented that the future utility of the information is seriously impaired. Given the effort required to obtain sequence information, it behooves the molecular researcher to devote some care to proper identification and documentation. 

Choice of Probes. The sequence chosen for analysis will be determined by the nature of the evolutionary comparison to be carried out. Examples of probe DNAs used for examining populational and species level comparisons, as well as for higher level systematics, are described by Dowling et a/.38 Table II provides some of die cloned sequences (or techniques to obtain them)45-75 that have the potential to be useful in evolutionary studies. The list is not meant to be comprehensive but representative there... 

One of the goals of molecular evolutionary studies is to understand the mechanisms and pathways used by the evolutionary process to produce proteins of altered or new function. These types of issues are best addressed through the use of the comparative method,1 wherein explicit evolutionary models are used to interpret the biochemical data. 

A.-C. Alderkamp A. G. J. Buma M. van Rijssel Department of Marine Biology, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, The Netherlands... 

The application of recombinant DNA techniques to the study of neuropeptide biosynthesis is essential because these techniques facilitate structural analyses and evolutionary studies, clarify biosynthetic pathways, provide the necessary background and probes for analysis of synthesis regulation at the levels of mRNA and gene transcription and assist in classical genetic experimentation. Examples of these benefits are cited and problems encountered in insect systems are discussed. 

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