Evolution of biological sequences implies an extreme value distribution of type I for both global and local pairwise alignment scores
2008

Evolution of Biological Sequences and Alignment Scores

publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Bastien Olivier, Maréchal Eric

Primary Institution: UMR 5168 CNRS-CEA-INRA-Université J. Fourier

Hypothesis

The alignment scores of biological sequences follow a Gumbel distribution based on the reliability theory of aging.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that alignment scores can be modeled using extreme value distributions, reflecting the redundancy of information in homologous sequences.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study links biological sequence analysis with systems biology.
  • It provides a theoretical basis for the Gumbel distribution of alignment scores.
  • The model reflects the redundancy of information in homologous sequences.

Takeaway

This study shows that when comparing DNA sequences, the scores we get can be understood like a game where some scores are more likely to happen than others, just like how some things are more likely to happen in real life.

Methodology

The authors developed a model based on reliability theory to analyze the evolution of sequence alignment scores.

Limitations

The model relies on assumptions about sequence evolution that may not hold in all cases.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2105-9-332

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