Genetic variation, which is generated by mutation, recombination and gene flow, can reduce
the mean fitness of a population, both now and in the future. This 'genetic load'has been …

Many species have undergone dramatic population size declines over the past centuries.
Although stochastic genetic processes during and after such declines are thought to elevate …

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most frequent symptomatic primary
immunodeficiency characterized by recurrent infections, hypogammaglobulinemia and poor …

Genetic erosion is a major threat to biodiversity because it can reduce fitness and ultimately
contribute to the extinction of populations. Here, we explore the use of quantitative metrics to …

Gene gain and loss are crucial factors that shape the evolutionary success of diverse
organisms. In the past two decades, more attention has been paid to the significance of …

Small populations with limited range are often threatened by inbreeding and reduced
genetic diversity, which can reduce fitness and exacerbate population decline. One of the …

According to the less-is-more hypothesis, gene loss is an engine for evolutionary change.
Loss-of-function (LoF) mutations resulting in the natural knockout of protein-coding genes …

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus) are the closest living relatives
of humans, but the two species show distinct behavioral and physiological differences …

Nonsense mutations are a type of mutations which results in a premature termination codon
occurrence. In general, these mutations have been considered to be among the most …

There are increasing evidences showing the contribution of somatic genetic variants to non-
cancer diseases. However, their detection using massive parallel sequencing methods still …