Mutational robustness accelerates the origin of novel RNA phenotypes through phenotypic plasticity.

ABSTRACT: Novel phenotypes can originate either through mutations in existing genotypes or through phenotypic plasticity, the ability of one genotype to form multiple phenotypes. From molecules to organisms, plasticity is a ubiquitous feature of life, and a potential source of exaptations, adaptive traits that originated for nonadaptive reasons. Another ubiquitous feature is robustness to mutations, although it is unknown whether such robustness helps or hinders the origin of new phenotypes through plasticity. RNA is ideal to address this question, because it shows extensive plasticity in its secondary structure phenotypes, a consequence of their continual folding and unfolding, and these phenotypes have important biological functions. Moreover, RNA is to some extent robust to mutations. This robust

SUBMITTER: Wagner A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3944620 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature