Originally published as Genetics Published Articles Ahead of Print on July 18, 2006.

Genetics, Vol. 174, 1689-1694, November 2006, Copyright © 2006
doi:10.1534/genetics.106.062885

Site-Specific Amino Acid Frequency, Fitness and the Mutational Landscape Model of Adaptation in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1

Jack da Silva1

School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia

1 Address for correspondence: School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, Molecular Life Sciences Bldg., Gate 8, Victoria Dr., University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
E-mail: jack.dasilva{at}adelaide.edu.au

Analysis of the intensely studied HIV-1 gp120 V3 protein region reveals that the among-population mean site-specific frequency of an amino acid is a measure of its relative marginal fitness. This surprising result may arise if populations are displaced from mutation–selection equilibrium by fluctuating selection and if the probability of fixation of a beneficial amino acid is proportional to its selection coefficient.




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