Dynamics of DNA in vitro evolution

In vitro evolution has become a very important research area in recent years. From a practical point of view, it provides a powerful and reliable tool for engineering functional molecules (DNA, RNA or proteins) in reasonably short periods of time. From a theoretical point of view, since in vitro evolution is analogous to natural evolution in many respects, the study of the dynamic details of in vitro evolution may provide some instructive insights into the process of evolution. In this review, we summarize current theoretical and experimental studies, including several efforts made by our group, on the dynamics of DNA in vitro evolution.