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Related Experiment Videos

Evolution of complexity in signaling pathways.

Orkun S Soyer1, Sebastian Bonhoeffer

  • 1Theoretical Biology Group, Institute for Integrative Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Universitätsstrasse 16, ETH Zentrum, CHN K12.2, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland. orkun.soyer@msr-unitn.unitn.it

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|October 25, 2006
PubMed
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Biological pathways evolve towards complexity through evolutionary mechanisms, not necessarily specific selection for it. Simpler selection criteria paradoxically lead to more complex pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Systems biology
  • Computational biology

Background:

  • The evolution of biological pathway complexity is not fully understood.
  • Pathways often exhibit complexity beyond minimal requirements for physiological responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if evolutionary mechanisms inherently drive biological pathway complexity.
  • To determine the role of selection criteria in shaping pathway complexity.

Main Methods:

  • Mathematical modeling of biological pathways.
  • Evolutionary simulations starting with small pathways (three proteins).
  • Introduction of mutations affecting protein presence and interactions.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Simulations showed that mutations and selection pressure lead to pathway growth.
  • Pathway complexity can increase without direct selection for complexity.
  • The stringency of selection criteria inversely correlates with final pathway size.

    • Conclusions:

    • Evolutionary mechanisms can drive biological pathways toward increased complexity.
    • Pathway complexity is influenced by the nature of selective pressures.
    • Less stringent selection may paradoxically promote higher pathway complexity.