Detection of selection in mammalian genomes and populations

Abstract

Genome-wide scans for evidence of positive selection in mammalian genomes have recently become possible with the availability of whole genome sequences. They offer a chance to identify those genes that were of most importance during evolution and which have undergone adaptive change. It has also been hypothesised that identification of these signatures may reveal the genes that engender the key biological differences between a species of interest and other related species.