The genetic equidistance result:misreading by the molecular clock and neutral theory and reinterpretation nearly half of a century later  

作　　者：HU TaoBo LONG MengPing YUAN DeJian ZHU ZhuBing HUANG YiMin HUANG Shi 

机构地区：[1]State Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics,Xiangya Medical School,Central South University [2]The Second Xiangya Hospital,Xiangya Medical School,Central South University [3]Xiangya Hospital,Xiangya Medical School,Central South University

出　　处：《Science China(Life Sciences)》2013年第3期254-261,共8页中国科学（生命科学英文版）

基　　金：supported by the State Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics,a FuRong Scholarship;the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81171880);the National Basic Research Program of China (2011CB51001)

摘　　要：In 1963,Margoliash discovered the unexpected genetic equidistance result after comparing cytochrome c sequences from different species.This finding,together with the hemoglobin analyses of Zuckerkandl and Pauling in 1962,directly inspired the ad hoc molecular clock hypothesis.Unfortunately,however,many biologists have since mistakenly viewed the molecular clock as a genuine reality,which in turn inspired Kimura,King,and Jukes to propose the neutral theory of molecular evolution.Many years of studies have found numerous contradictions to the theory,and few today believe in a universal constant clock.What is being neglected,however,is that the failure of the molecular clock hypothesis has left the original equidistance result an unsolved mystery.In recent years,we fortuitously rediscovered the equidistance result,which remains unknown to nearly all researchers.Incorporating the proven virtues of existing evolutionary theories and introducing the novel concept of maximum genetic diversity,we proposed a more complete hypothesis of evolutionary genetics and reinterpreted the equidistance result and other major evolutionary phenomena.The hypothesis may rewrite molecular phylogeny and population genetics and solve major biomedical problems that challenge the existing framework of evolutionary biology.In 1963, Margoliash discovered the unexpected genetic equidistance result after comparing cytochrome c sequences from dif- ferent species. This finding, together with the hemoglobin analyses of Zuckerkandl and Pauling in 1962, directly inspired the ad hoc molecular clock hypothesis. Unfortunately, however, many biologists have since mistakenly viewed the molecular clock as a genuine reality, which in turn inspired Kimura, King, and Jukes to propose the neutral theory of molecular evolution Many years of studies have found numerous contradictions to the theory, and few today believe in a universal constant clock. What is being neglected, however, is that the failure of the molecular clock hypothesis has left the original equidistance result an unsolved mystery. In recent years, we fortuitously rediscovered the equidistance result, which remains unknown to nearly all researchers. Incorporating the proven virtues of existing evolutionary theories and introducing the novel concept of maxi- mum genetic diversity, we proposed a more complete hypothesis of evolutionary genetics and reinterpreted the equidistance result and other major evolutionary phenomena. The hypothesis may rewrite molecular phylogeny and population genetics and solve major biomedical problems that challenge the existing framework of evolutionary biology.

关 键 词：genetic equidistance overlap feature evolution molecular clock neutral theory maximum genetic diversity hypothesis MICROEVOLUTION MACROEVOLUTION 

分 类 号：Q343[生物学—遗传学]