PyEvoMotion: a Python tool for population-based time-course analysis of genome evolution

SUMMARY: We present PyEvoMotion, an open-source Python tool for inferring molecular clock models with time-dependent Gaussian noise from high-throughput genomic datasets. PyEvoMotion features a command-line interface and a modular architecture, allowing seamless integration into larger bioinformatic pipelines. The tool supports customizable filtering, temporal discretization definition, and mutation classification, making it adaptable to diverse research needs. While traditional phylogenetic methods may encounter computational challenges with large datasets, PyEvoMotion can process thousands to millions of sequences to compute statistical parameters associated with a stochastic differential equation model, thereby weighting the genetic variation within the population. Using viral genomic data, we demonstrate its capability to infer evolutionary rates and detect non-Brownian evolutionary motions with subdiffusive behavior. PyEvoMotion shows potential to provide overlooked insights into genome evolution in different contexts. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The open source software is available on GitHub at https://github.com/luksgrin/PyEvoMotion and on SourceForge at https://sourceforge.net/projects/pyevomotion.