Vetsigian Kalin, Woese Carl, Goldenfeld Nigel
Department of Physics, Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Jul 11;103(28):10696-701. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0603780103. Epub 2006 Jul 3.
A dynamical theory for the evolution of the genetic code is presented, which accounts for its universality and optimality. The central concept is that a variety of collective, but non-Darwinian, mechanisms likely to be present in early communal life generically lead to refinement and selection of innovation-sharing protocols, such as the genetic code. Our proposal is illustrated by using a simplified computer model and placed within the context of a sequence of transitions that early life may have made, before the emergence of vertical descent.
提出了一种关于遗传密码进化的动力学理论,该理论解释了其普遍性和最优性。核心概念是,早期群居生活中可能存在的各种集体但非达尔文式的机制通常会导致创新共享协议(如遗传密码)的优化和选择。我们的提议通过使用一个简化的计算机模型进行说明,并置于垂直遗传出现之前早期生命可能经历的一系列转变的背景中。