Search results for "Robustness"
showing 10 items of 512 documents
Design of the CGAL 3D Spherical Kernel and application to arrangements of circles on a sphere
2009
AbstractThis paper presents a cgal kernel for algorithms manipulating 3D spheres, circles, and circular arcs. The paper makes three contributions. First, the mathematics underlying two non-trivial predicates are presented. Second, the design of the kernel concept is developed, and the connexion between the mathematics and this design is established. In particular, we show how two different frameworks can be combined: one for the general setting, and one dedicated to the case where all the objects handled lie on a reference sphere. Finally, an assessment about the efficacy of the 3D Spherical Kernel is made through the calculation of the exact arrangement of circles on a sphere. On average w…
Evolution of small prokaryotic genomes
2015
As revealed by genome sequencing, the biology of prokaryotes with reduced genomes is strikingly diverse. These include free-living prokaryotes with ∼800 genes as well as endosymbiotic bacteria with as few as ∼140 genes. Comparative genomics is revealing the evolutionary mechanisms that led to these small genomes. In the case of free-living prokaryotes, natural selection directly favored genome reduction, while in the case of endosymbiotic prokaryotes neutral processes played a more prominent role. However, new experimental data suggest that selective processes may be at operation as well for endosymbiotic prokaryotes at least during the first stages of genome reduction. Endosymbiotic prokar…
Structural analyses of a hypothetical minimal metabolism
2007
By integrating data from comparative genomics and large-scale deletion studies, we previously proposed a minimal gene set comprising 206 protein-coding genes. To evaluate the consistency of the metabolism encoded by such a minimal genome, we have carried out a series of computational analyses. Firstly, the topology of the minimal metabolism was compared with that of the reconstructed networks from natural bacterial genomes. Secondly, the robustness of the metabolic network was evaluated by simulated mutagenesis and, finally, the stoichiometric consistency was assessed by automatically deriving the steady-state solutions from the reaction set. The results indicated that the proposed minimal …
A genetic background with low mutational robustness is associated with increased adaptability to a novel host in an RNA virus.
2009
Although mutational robustness is central to many evolutionary processes, its relationship to evolvability remains poorly understood and has been very rarely tested experimentally. Here, we measure the evolvability of Vesicular stomatitis virus in two genetic backgrounds with different levels of mutational robustness. We passaged the viruses into a novel cell type to model a host-jump episode, quantified changes in infectivity and fitness in the new host, evaluated the cost of adaptation in the original host and analyzed the genetic basis of this adaptation. Lineages evolved from the less robust genetic background demonstrated increased adaptability, paid similar costs of adaptation to the …
Deciphering the histone code to build the genome structure
2017
Histones are punctuated with small chemical modifications that alter their interaction with DNA. One attractive hypothesis stipulates that certain combinations of these histone modifications may function, alone or together, as a part of a predictive histone code to provide ground rules for chromatin folding. We consider four features that relate histone modifications to chromatin folding: charge neutralisation, molecular specificity, robustness and evolvability. Next, we present evidence for the association among different histone modifications at various levels of chromatin organisation and show how these relationships relate to function such as transcription, replication and cell division…
Experimental Evolution and Population Genetics of RNA Viruses
2009
Viral studies have contributed substantially to the field of experimental evolution during the last two decades. The rapid evolution of RNA viruses makes them especially suitable for investigating real-time evolution, while their small genomes facilitate the analysis of the genetic basis of evolutionary change. We review recent advances in RNA virus experimental evolution, focusing on genetic properties that differentiate them from DNA-based organisms, such as their high mutation rates, small genome sizes, low genetic robustness, and the predominance of antagonistic epistasis. We argue that these properties can explain many aspects of RNA virus evolution, including rapid evolution, marked f…
Mutational fitness effects in RNA and single-stranded DNA viruses: common patterns revealed by site-directed mutagenesis studies
2010
The fitness effects of mutations are central to evolution, yet have begun to be characterized in detail only recently. Site-directed mutagenesis is a powerful tool for achieving this goal, which is particularly suited for viruses because of their small genomes. Here, I discuss the evolutionary relevance of mutational fitness effects and critically review previous site-directed mutagenesis studies. The effects of single-nucleotide substitutions are standardized and compared for five RNA or single-stranded DNA viruses infecting bacteria, plants or animals. All viruses examined show very low tolerance to mutation when compared with cellular organisms. Moreover, for non-lethal mutations, the me…
Selection for thermostability can lead to the emergence of mutational robustness in an RNA virus
2010
Mutational robustness has important evolutionary implications, yet the mechanisms leading to its emergence remain poorly understood. One possibility is selection acting on a correlated trait, as for instance thermostability (plastogenetic congruence). Here, we examine the correlation between mutational robustness and thermostability in experimental populations of the RNA bacteriophage Qβ. Thermostable viruses evolved after only six serial passages in the presence of heat shocks, and genome sequencing suggested that thermostability can be conferred by several alternative mutations. To test whether thermostable viruses have increased mutational robustness, we performed additional passages in …
The Role of Ancestral Duplicated Genes in Adaptation to Growth on Lactate, a Non-Fermentable Carbon Source for the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
2021
This article belongs to the Section Molecular Informatics.
Predicting bond betas using macro-finance variables
2019
We conduct in-sample and out-of-sample forecasting using the new approach of combining explanatory variables through complete subset regressions (CSR). We predict bond CAPM betas and bond returns conditioning on various macro-finance variables. We explore differences across long-term government bonds, investment grade corporate bonds, and high-yield corporate bonds. The CSR method performs well in predicting bond betas, especially in-sample, and, mainly high-yield bond betas when the focus is out-of-sample. Bond returns are less predictable than bond betas.