Experimental exploration of a ribozyme neutral network using evolutionary algorithm and deep learning.

ABSTRACT: A neutral network connects all genotypes with equivalent phenotypes in a fitness landscape and plays an important role in the mutational robustness and evolvability of biomolecules. In contrast to earlier theoretical works, evidence of large neutral networks has been lacking in recent experimental studies of fitness landscapes. This suggests that evolution could be constrained globally. Here, we demonstrate that a deep learning-guided evolutionary algorithm can efficiently identify neutral genotypes within the sequence space of an RNA ligase ribozyme. Furthermore, we measure the activities of all 2¹⁶ variants connecting two active ribozymes that differ by 16 mutations and analyze mutational interactions (epistasis) up to the 16th order. We discover an extensive network of neutra

SUBMITTER: Rotrattanadumrong R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9385714 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature