Improvisation in evolution of genes and genomes: whose structure is it anyway?

Abstract

Significant progress has been made in recent years in a variety of seemingly unrelated fields such as sequencing, protein structure prediction, and high-throughput transcriptomics and metabolomics. At the same time new microscopic models were developed that made it possible to analyze evolution of genes and genomes from first principles. The results from these efforts enable, for the first time, a comprehensive insight into the evolution of complex systems and organisms on all scales – from sequences to organisms and populations. Every newly sequenced genome uncovers new genes, families, and folds. Where do these new genes come from? How does gene duplication and subsequent divergence of sequence and structure affect the fitness of the organism? What role does regulation play in the evolution of proteins and folds? Emerging synergism between data and modeling provide first robust answers to these questions.