Linking molecular mechanisms to their evolutionary consequences: a primer.

ABSTRACT: A major obstacle to predictive understanding of evolution stems from the complexity of biological systems, which prevents detailed characterization of key evolutionary properties. Here, we highlight some of the major sources of complexity that arise when relating molecular mechanisms to their evolutionary consequences and ask whether accounting for every mechanistic detail is important to accurately predict evolutionary outcomes. To do this, we developed a mechanistic model of a bacterial promoter regulated by 2 proteins, allowing us to connect any promoter genotype to 6 phenotypes that capture the dynamics of gene expression following an environmental switch. Accounting for the mechanisms that govern how this system works enabled us to provide an in-depth picture of how regulated bacteria

SUBMITTER: Grah R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11796464 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature