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Inverse relationship between genetic diversity and epigenetic complexity

Shi Huang¹

Correspondence: (Login to view email address)

1. The Burnham Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037

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Document Type:

Manuscript

Date:

Received 01 April 2008 23:57 UTC; Posted 02 April 2008

Subjects:

Ecology, Genetics & Genomics, Bioinformatics

Tags:

• equidistance result
• maximum genetic diversity hypothesis
• epigenetic complexity
• Neo-Darwinian hypothesis
• bioinformatics
• Epigenetics
• molecular clock
• Evolution

Abstract:

Early studies of molecular evolution revealed a correlation between genetic distance and time of species divergence. This observation provoked the molecular clock hypothesis and in turn the ‘Neutral Theory’, which however remains an incomplete explanation since it predicts a constant mutation rate per generation whereas empirical evidence suggests a constant rate per year. Data inconsistent with the molecular clock hypothesis have steadily accumulated in recent years that show no correlation between genetic distance and time of divergence. It has therefore become a challenge to find a testable idea that can reconcile the seemingly conflicting data sets. Here, an inverse relationship between genetic diversity and epigenetic complexity was deduced from a simple intuition in building complex systems. Genetic diversity, i.e., genetic distance or dissimilarity in DNA or protein sequences between individuals or species, is restricted by the complexity of epigenetic programs. This inverse relationship logically deduces the maximum genetic diversity hypothesis, which suggests that macroevolution from simple to complex organisms involves a punctuational increase in epigenetic complexity that in turn causes a punctuational loss in genetic diversity. The hypothesis explains a diverse set of biological phenomena, including both for and against the correlation between genetic distance and time of divergence.

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License:

This document is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

How to cite this document:

Huang, Shi. Inverse relationship between genetic diversity and epigenetic complexity. Available from Nature Precedings <http://hdl.handle.net/10101/npre.2008.1751.1> (2008)

Version info:

Published version:

http://www.amazon.com/Cancer-Epigenetics-Trygve-Tollefsbol/dp/1420045792/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226425804&sr=1-1 (Peer Reviewed) The main idea of this paper, i.e. the inverse relationship between genetic diversity and epigenetic complexity, has been published as a peer reviewed book chapter. Citation: Huang, S. (2008) Histone methylation and the initiation of cancer. Cancer Epigenetics, Ed. Tollefsbol, T., CRC Books.

Other versions of this document in Nature Precedings

Version number	Document title	Date
v2	Posted 15 January 2009

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