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Updated: May 27, 2026
10:59
Visualizing and Quantifying Endonuclease-Based Site-Specific DNA Damage
Published on: August 21, 2021
Evolution of asymmetric damage segregation : a modelling approach.
Armin Rashidi1, Thomas B L Kirkwood, Daryl P Shanley
1Institute for Ageing and Health, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 5PL, UK, rashida@evms.edu.
Sub-Cellular Biochemistry
|November 19, 2011
Summary
Cellular damage segregation varies across yeast species. This study models evolution to find when symmetrical damage distribution, not just asymmetrical, is optimal for unicellular ageing.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Mother cell-specific aging is observed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, linked to asymmetric damage segregation.
- Organisms like Schizosaccharomyces pombe show near-symmetrical segregation, while Candida albicans is intermediate.
- The evolutionary drivers for varying damage segregation strategies remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary forces shaping asymmetry in damage segregation during cell division.
- To identify conditions under which symmetrical segregation represents an optimal evolutionary strategy.
- To explore the interplay between cellular trade-offs, ecology, and aging mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Development of a mathematical model incorporating protein synthesis, damage, and degradation.
- Inclusion of costs associated with asymmetry evolution.
- Integration of trade-offs between reproduction and maintenance investments.
Main Results:
- The model reveals conditions favoring symmetrical damage segregation as an optimal strategy.
- Identifies selective forces driving the evolution of asymmetry.
- Highlights the influence of ecological factors and cellular physiology on aging.
Conclusions:
- Symmetry can be an evolutionarily stable strategy for unicellular aging under specific conditions.
- The study provides a framework for understanding the diversity of damage segregation mechanisms.
- Findings may have implications for understanding aging in both unicellular and multicellular organisms.
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