Selfish genes, the phenotype paradigm and genome evolution.
Natural selection operating within genomes will inevitably result in the appearance of DNAs with no phenotypic expression whose only 'function' is survival within genomes. Prokaryotic transposable elements and eukaryotic middle-repetitive sequences can be seen as such DNA's and thus no phenotypic or evolutionary function need be assigned to them.
D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D012641:Selection, Genetic
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004247:DNA