Effects of mutational robustness on protein structure across generations

Ascertain the effects of mutational robustness across successive generations on a specified protein native structure R within the Bayesian-learning/statistical-mechanics framework that averages over amino acid sequences when defining quantities such as κ_R, by characterizing how sequence-dependent mutational robustness influences the stability or change of R across generations without integrating over sequences.

Background

All measures introduced in the paper, including χ_R and κ_R, are computed by averaging over amino acid sequences, focusing the analysis on environmental fluctuations rather than mutations. As a result, the framework does not directly address how mutational robustness impacts structural evolution across generations.

The authors note that to include mutations, one would need to analyze quantities that retain sequence pattern dependencies without averaging over sequences. Clarifying the influence of mutational robustness on structure R thus remains an unresolved aspect crucial for linking the framework to broader evolutionary mechanisms involving mutation and genetic drift.