Pattern of nucleotide substitution and the extent of purifying selection in retroviruses.

Abstract excerpt

The patterns of point mutation and nucleotide substitution are inferred from nucleotide differences in three coding and two noncoding regions of retroviral genomes. Evidence is presented in favor of the view that the majority of mutations accumulate at the reverse transcription stage. Purifying selection is apparently very weak at the amino acid level, and almost nonexistent between synonymous codons. The pattern...

Topics

• Animals
• Base Sequence
• Biological Evolution
• Codon
• DNA, Viral
• Genes, Viral
• Genetic Variation
• Mutation
• Phylogeny
• Retroviridae
• Selection, Genetic
• Transcription, Genetic