Laskowski Roman A, Thornton Janet M, Sternberg Michael J E
European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK.
Biochem Soc Trans. 2009 Aug;37(Pt 4):723-6. doi: 10.1042/BST0370723.
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was based on studies of biology at the species level. In the time since his death, studies at the molecular level have confirmed his ideas about the kinship of all life on Earth and have provided a wealth of detail about the evolutionary relationships between different species and a deeper understanding of the finer workings of natural selection. We now have a wealth of data, including the genome sequences of a wide range of organisms, an even larger number of protein sequences, a significant knowledge of the three-dimensional structures of proteins, DNA and other biological molecules, and a huge body of information about the operation of these molecules as systems in the molecular machinery of all living things. This issue of Biochemical Society Transactions contains papers from oral presentations given at a Biochemical Society Focused Meeting to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, held on 26-27 January 2009 at the Wellcome Trust Conference Centre, Cambridge. The talks reported on some of the insights into evolution which have been obtained from the study of protein sequences, structures and systems.
查尔斯·达尔文的进化论基于对物种层面生物学的研究。自他去世以来，分子层面的研究证实了他关于地球上所有生命亲缘关系的观点，并提供了大量有关不同物种间进化关系的细节，以及对自然选择更精细运作的更深入理解。我们现在拥有大量数据，包括多种生物的基因组序列、数量更多的蛋白质序列、对蛋白质、DNA和其他生物分子三维结构的大量了解，以及有关这些分子在所有生物分子机制中作为系统运行的海量信息。本期《生物化学学会会刊》刊载了在2009年1月26日至27日于剑桥惠康信托会议中心举行的纪念查尔斯·达尔文诞辰200周年生物化学学会专题会议上口头报告的论文。这些报告阐述了从蛋白质序列、结构和系统研究中获得的一些进化见解。
