Trevors J T
Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 1997 Mar;71(3):271-6. doi: 10.1023/a:1000183732698.
This review examines the possible role of silicon in molecular evolution. It is possible silicon participated in early molecular evolution by providing a stable mineral surface or gel structure where the assembly and replication of primitive genetic information occurred. However, as molecular evolution proceeded, silicon was not required in the evolution of C-based organisms. Silicon can be accumulated by diatoms and other living organisms such as silicoflagellates, some xanthophytes, radiolarians and actinopods and plants such as grasses, ferns, horseradish, some trees and flowers, some sponges, insects and invertebrates and bacteria and fungi. Silicon also has a role in synthesis of DNA, DNA polymerase and thymidylate kinase activity in diatoms. It is not unreasonable to examine the role of silicon in early molecular evolution as it may have been part of a micro-environment in which assembly of genetic information occurred.
本综述探讨了硅在分子进化中可能扮演的角色。硅有可能通过提供一个稳定的矿物表面或凝胶结构参与早期分子进化，原始遗传信息的组装和复制就在此发生。然而，随着分子进化的推进，碳基生物的进化不再需要硅。硅藻和其他生物，如硅鞭藻、一些黄藻、放射虫和太阳虫，以及草、蕨类、辣根、一些树木和花卉等植物、一些海绵、昆虫和无脊椎动物、细菌和真菌都可以积累硅。硅在硅藻的DNA合成、DNA聚合酶和胸苷酸激酶活性中也发挥作用。研究硅在早期分子进化中的作用并非毫无道理，因为它可能是遗传信息组装所处微环境的一部分。
