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Neutral evolution of cellular phenotypes.

Jeremy G Wideman1, Aaron Novick2, Sergio A Muñoz-Gómez3

  • 1Centre for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada.

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
|October 2, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Eukaryotic cellular diversity may arise from neutral evolutionary processes, not just adaptation. Neutral mechanisms like gene loss and duplication can explain varied phenotypes in unicellular eukaryotes.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Eukaryotes share fundamental cellular structures (nucleus, Golgi, cytoskeleton) and processes (mitosis, meiosis).
  • Despite commonalities, eukaryotes display significant diversity in cellular and subcellular morphologies.
  • The evolutionary drivers behind this phenotypic diversity remain debated: adaptation versus neutral processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a neutral theory for eukaryotic phenotypic evolution.
  • To explain the origins of diverse cellular, developmental, and biochemical phenotypes in unicellular eukaryotes.
  • To integrate neutral evolutionary processes into our understanding of eukaryotic diversity.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a hierarchical view of phenotype.
  • Articulating a neutral theory of phenotypic evolution.
  • Considering mechanisms like gene loss, gene replacement, and gene duplication with subfunctionalization.

Main Results:

  • Neutral evolutionary processes, including gene loss and duplication, can generate significant phenotypic diversity.
  • Constructive neutral evolution offers a framework for understanding the entrenchment of neutral traits.
  • These neutral mechanisms can account for much of the observed diversity in unicellular eukaryotes.

Conclusions:

  • Neutral evolutionary processes are a significant factor in eukaryotic phenotypic diversity, alongside adaptive explanations.
  • Further exploration of neutral theories is warranted to fully understand eukaryotic evolution.
  • The proposed neutral theory provides a complementary perspective to adaptive hypotheses for eukaryotic diversification.