School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
J Exp Biol. 2011 Jan 15;214(Pt 2):179-90. doi: 10.1242/jeb.046912.
During the past decade, microevolution of intermediary metabolism has become an important new research focus at the interface between metabolic biochemistry and evolutionary genetics. Increasing recognition of the importance of integrative studies in evolutionary analysis, the rising interest in 'evolutionary systems biology', and the development of various 'omics' technologies have all contributed significantly to this developing interface. The present review primarily focuses on five prominent areas of recent research on pathway microevolution: lipid metabolism and life-history evolution; the electron transport system, hybrid breakdown and speciation; glycolysis, alcohol metabolism and population adaptation in Drosophila; chemostat selection in microorganisms; and anthocyanin pigment biosynthesis and flower color evolution. Some of these studies have provided a new perspective on important evolutionary topics that have not been investigated extensively from a biochemical perspective (hybrid breakdown, parallel evolution). Other studies have provided new data that augment previous biochemical information, resulting in a deeper understanding of evolutionary mechanisms (allozymes and biochemical adaptation to climate, life-history evolution, flower pigments and the genetics of adaptation). Finally, other studies have provided new insights into how the function or position of an enzyme in a pathway influences its evolutionary dynamics, in addition to providing powerful experimental models for investigations of network evolution. Microevolutionary studies of metabolic pathways will undoubtedly become increasingly important in the future because of the central importance of intermediary metabolism in organismal fitness, the wealth of biochemical data being provided by various omics technologies, and the increasing influence of integrative and systems perspectives in biology.
在过去的十年中，中间代谢的微观进化已成为代谢生物化学和进化遗传学之间的一个重要的新研究焦点。对进化分析中综合研究的重要性的认识不断提高，对“进化系统生物学”的兴趣日益浓厚，以及各种“组学”技术的发展，都为这一不断发展的界面做出了重要贡献。本综述主要关注最近在途径微观进化方面的五个突出研究领域：脂质代谢与生活史进化；电子传递系统、杂种衰退与物种形成；果蝇中的糖酵解、酒精代谢与种群适应；微生物恒化器选择；以及花色素生物合成与花色进化。其中一些研究为一些重要的进化主题提供了新的视角，这些主题从生化角度来看还没有得到广泛的研究（杂种衰退、平行进化）。其他研究提供了新的数据，补充了以前的生化信息，从而加深了对进化机制的理解（同工酶和对气候的生化适应、生活史进化、花色和适应的遗传学）。最后，其他研究提供了关于酶在途径中的功能或位置如何影响其进化动态的新见解，同时为网络进化的研究提供了强大的实验模型。代谢途径的微观进化研究无疑将变得越来越重要，因为中间代谢在生物适应性方面具有核心重要性，各种组学技术提供了丰富的生化数据，以及综合和系统观点在生物学中的影响不断增加。
