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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
08:11
Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
Published on: June 14, 2024
Metabolic adaptation after whole genome duplication
Milan J A van Hoek1, Paulien Hogeweg
1Theoretical Biology/Bioinformatics Group, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. milan.van.hoek@cwi.nl
Molecular Biology and Evolution
|July 24, 2009
Summary
Whole genome duplications (WGDs) drive major evolutionary transitions by enhancing metabolic adaptation and gene retention, particularly for glycolytic and transporter genes. This process aids adaptation to new environments, like high glucose levels, explaining WGD
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Systems biology
- Metabolic engineering
Background:
- Whole genome duplications (WGDs) are proposed drivers of evolutionary innovation.
- The impact of WGDs and subsequent gene loss on cellular metabolism remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To model gene loss and metabolic adaptation dynamics following WGD.
- To investigate the evolutionary consequences of WGD in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Main Methods:
- Developed a genome-scale evolutionary model.
- Utilized the metabolic network of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
- Compared model predictions with ancestral and current yeast genomes.
Main Results:
- Modeled gene retention post-WGD aligns with S. cerevisiae data.
- Transporter and glycolytic genes show higher retention rates, increasing glycolytic flux.
- WGD facilitates adaptation to new environments (e.g., high glucose) more effectively than small-scale duplications.
Conclusions:
- WGD is crucial for yeast adaptation to glucose-rich environments.
- WGD is often detrimental in pre-adapted environments but beneficial in novel ones.
- The rarity of WGD may stem from its short-term detrimental effects in familiar environments.
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