Using evolutionary repair to learn about biological functions
Abstract
Although many biological processes, such as DNA replication and chromosome segregation, are universal and many of the proteins that mediate them have persisted since the last common ancestor, other components have appeared and disappeared during evolution. We have removed important, but non-essential components from two different processes, DNA replication and chromosome segregation, allowed cells to accumulate mutations that restore reproductive fitness to nearly wild-type levels, and studied how these mutations affect DNA metabolism. In both cases, mutations alter multiple aspects of DNA metabolism with the effects of the different mutations being approximately additive and at least one of the adaptations is to slow an aspect of DNA replication. We discuss the trade-off between the speed of DNA replication and the accumulation of harmful intermediates in wild-type and mutant cells and how mutations can regulate the trade-off to improve reproductive fitness.
NIH/NIGMS GM043987.- Publication:
-
APS March Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019APS..MARL51003F