Calculation of the equilibrium distribution for a deleterious gene by the finite Fourier transform.

In a population of constant size every deleterious gene eventually attains a stochastic equilibrium between mutation and selection. The individual probabilities of this equilibrium distribution can be computed by an application of the finite Fourier transform to an appropriate branching process formula. Specific numerical examples are discussed for the autosomal dominants, Huntington's chorea and chondrodystrophy, and for the X-linked recessive, Becker's muscular dystrophy.