Bull, James J.Wilke, C. (Claus)2015-08-202018-01-222018-01-222012-05May 2012http://hdl.handle.net/2152/30391In my dissertation I have broadly studied the evolution of RNA as well as the phylogenetic history of the actin protein family. In the first chapter I examined how various evolutionary processes interact at high mutation rates, which led to simple prediction based on the strength of selection. In the second chapter, I tested mRNA secondary structure stability at the beginning of genes as a way of identifying whether putative genes might be functional or not. Finally, I reconstructed the phylogenetic history of the actin protein family in vertebrates, revealing that a novel isoform is actively evolving in contrast to the remaining protein isoforms.application/pdfmRNARNAEvolutionHigh mutation ratesActin phylogenyThesis2015-08-20