Evolutionary modelling of biological structures

Thesis

Many naturally occurring biological molecules, such as nucleic acids or proteins, are evolutionary related, having evolved from a common ancestor via a process of sequence mutation. Mutations undergo a process of selection, with combinations of mutations that preserve or improve a molecule's fitness having a higher probability of being maintained. Mutations that modify structure are expected to particularly impact fitness, and often detectably influence observed patterns of mutations.

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Authors: Golden, M

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Keywords: Bayesian; Evolution; RNA structure; Probabilistic; Protein structure; Phylogenetics