Genetic code evolution reveals the neutral emergence of mutational robustness, and information as an evolutionary constraint.

ABSTRACT: The standard genetic code (SGC) is central to molecular biology and its origin and evolution is a fundamental problem in evolutionary biology, the elucidation of which promises to reveal much about the origins of life. In addition, we propose that study of its origin can also reveal some fundamental and generalizable insights into mechanisms of molecular evolution, utilizing concepts from complexity theory. The first is that beneficial traits may arise by non-adaptive processes, via a process of "neutral emergence". The structure of the SGC is optimized for the property of error minimization, which reduces the deleterious impact of point mutations. Via simulation, it can be shown that genetic codes with error minimization superior to the SGC can emerge in a neutral fashion simply by a proc

SUBMITTER: Massey SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4500140 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature