Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2026

Procedure for Adaptive Laboratory Evolution of Microorganisms Using a Chemostat
Published on: September 20, 2016
Detecting Adaptation with Genome-Scale Molecule Evolutionary Analysis: An Educational Primer for Use with "RNA
1Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 bplazzaro@cornell.edu.
Abstract:
Hosts and pathogens impose coevolutionary pressure on each other as pathogens strive to establish themselves and hosts seek to suppress infection. RNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism by which cells repress viruses and transposable elements, thereby serving as a form of immune defense. Previous studies have shown that antiviral RNAi genes evolve extraordinarily quickly in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, suggesting that they may adaptively coevolve with viruses and transposable elements. An article by Palmer and colleagues extends this observation to nematodes and multiple insects. Their article can be combined with this Primer to demonstrate the use of comparative genomics and molecular evolutionary analyses in the measurement of natural selection.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?
In contrast, regions which code...
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes
Bacterial RNA Polymerase
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Genetic Screens
Forward genetic screens
Forward or “classical” genetic screens involve creating random mutations in an organism’s DNA using radiation, mutagens, or insertion of additional bases, which result in visible changes...
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

