Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Replisome

The Replisome

DNA replication is carried out by a large complex of proteins that act in a coordinated matter to achieve high-fidelity DNA replication. Together this complex is known as the DNA replication machinery or the replisome.
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with...

Pleiotropy

Pleiotropy

Pleiotropy is the phenomenon in which a single gene impacts multiple, seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits. For example, defects in the SOX10 gene cause Waardenburg Syndrome Type 4, or WS4, which can cause defects in pigmentation, hearing impairments, and an absence of intestinal contractions necessary for elimination. This diversity of phenotypes results from the expression pattern of SOX10 in early embryonic and fetal development. SOX10 is found in neural crest cells that form melanocytes,...

DNA as a Genetic Template

DNA as a Genetic Template

Two structural features of the DNA molecule provide a basis for the mechanisms of heredity: the four nucleotide bases and its double-stranded nature. The Watson-Crick model of double-helical DNA structure, proposed in 1952, drew heavily upon the X-ray crystallography work of researchers Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in 1962. Franklin was, controversially, excluded from the prize for...

Gene Duplication and Divergence

Gene Duplication and Divergence

The seminal work of Ohno in 1970 popularized the idea of gene duplication and divergence. DNA sequence comparison studies reveal that a large portion of the genes in bacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes was generated by gene duplication and divergence, indicating its critical role in evolution.
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are...

Genome Copying Errors

Genome Copying Errors

DNA replication is a well-evolved process that copies millions of base pairs with high fidelity during each cell division. Occasionally a wrong base or a long stretch of wrong bases may get added to the daughter strands. If the errors are left unchecked, cells might accumulate several mutations that might endanger their survival. Therefore, the copying errors are checked and repaired at three levels.

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Analysis of Fall and Jump Behaviors in Freely Moving <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> Using 58 fps Video.

Insects·2026

Same author

A multi-omic atlas in the African turquoise killifish reveals increased glucocorticoid signaling as a hallmark of brain aging.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Astaxanthin, meclizine, mitoglitazone, pioglitazone, alpha-ketoglutarate, mifepristone, methotrexate, and atorvastatin-telmisartan do not increase lifespan in UM-HET3 mice.

GeroScience·2026

Same author

Noninvasive Measurement of Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow in Shunted Hydrocephalus: Protocol for Scanner Calibration and Multisite Data Collection.

JMIR research protocols·2026

Same author

Tissue-Specific Fluorescent Protein Turnover in Free-Moving Flies.

Insects·2025

Same author

Machine Learning Scoring Reveals Increased Frequency of Falls Proximal to Death in Drosophila melanogaster.

The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 24, 2025

Automated Robotic Liquid Handling Assembly of Modular DNA Devices

Automated Robotic Liquid Handling Assembly of Modular DNA Devices

Published on: December 1, 2017

Incorporating antagonistic pleiotropy into models for molecular replicators.

Tianjiao Qu¹, Peter Calabrese², Pratik Singhavi¹

¹Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.

|December 28, 2020

Summary

Antagonistic pleiotropy, where genes have varied effects, may drive molecular instability and system complexity. This study models replicators, suggesting a link between aging and evolution through molecular instability.

Keywords:

Aging Complexity Evolution Origin of life

More Related Videos

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli

Published on: March 16, 2011

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Published on: December 14, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 24, 2025

Automated Robotic Liquid Handling Assembly of Modular DNA Devices

Automated Robotic Liquid Handling Assembly of Modular DNA Devices

Published on: December 1, 2017

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli

Published on: March 16, 2011

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Published on: December 14, 2019

Area of Science:

Origin of life studies
Genetics of aging
Molecular evolution

Background:

Cells use DNA genes for replication.
Replicator theory suggests early life involved self-replicating molecules.
Antagonistic pleiotropy explains aging: genes beneficial in youth, detrimental in old age.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore how antagonistic pleiotropy influences molecular replicator systems.
To investigate the role of molecular instability in the origin of life and aging.

Main Methods:

Developed three computational models of a two-subunit replicator (AB).
Simulated replicator proliferation with subunit B exhibiting antagonistic pleiotropy (instability).
Analyzed conditions where B's instability was detrimental versus beneficial.

Main Results:

Model 1: Unstable B released A, boosting replicator activity.
Model 2: Unstable B was replaced by a more active mutant (B').
Model 3: Unstable B was replaced by a new B, maintaining function.

Conclusions:

Antagonistic pleiotropy can promote molecular instability and system complexity.
Molecular instability may be a key factor linking aging and evolution.
Findings support theories on the origin of life and genetic basis of aging.