In the absence of purifying and positive selection, the ratio of the rate of synonymous substitutions to the rate of nonsynonymous substitutions should be near

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ratio of the rate of synonymous substitutions to the rate of nonsynonymous substitutions is known as dS/dN. In the absence of purifying and positive selection, dS/dN should be near 1, indicating that synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions occur at equal rates. This is because there is no pressure to maintain or change the amino acid sequence of a protein, so changes in either type of substitution are largely neutral.

In the Absence of Purifying and Positive Selection, the Ratio