Institute of Molecular Evolutionary Genetics and Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet. 2010;11:265-89. doi: 10.1146/annurev-genom-082908-150129.
The neutral theory of molecular evolution has been widely accepted and is the guiding principle for studying evolutionary genomics and the molecular basis of phenotypic evolution. Recent data on genomic evolution are generally consistent with the neutral theory. However, many recently published papers claim the detection of positive Darwinian selection via the use of new statistical methods. Examination of these methods has shown that their theoretical bases are not well established and often result in high rates of false-positive and false-negative results. When the deficiencies of these statistical methods are rectified, the results become largely consistent with the neutral theory. At present, genome-wide analyses of natural selection consist of collections of single-locus analyses. However, because phenotypic evolution is controlled by the interaction of many genes, the study of natural selection ought to take such interactions into account. Experimental studies of evolution will also be crucial.
分子进化的中性理论已被广泛接受，是研究进化基因组学和表型进化的分子基础的指导原则。最近关于基因组进化的数据通常与中性理论一致。然而，最近发表的许多论文声称通过使用新的统计方法检测到了正达尔文选择。对这些方法的检验表明，它们的理论基础并不完善，往往导致高假阳性和假阴性结果。当纠正这些统计方法的缺陷时，结果与中性理论在很大程度上是一致的。目前，对自然选择的全基因组分析由单个基因座分析的集合组成。然而，由于表型进化是由许多基因的相互作用控制的，因此对自然选择的研究应该考虑到这种相互作用。进化的实验研究也将是至关重要的。
