Evolution of a minimal cell
Possessing only essential genes, a minimal cell can reveal mechanisms and processes that are critical for the persistence and stability of life1,2. Here we report on how an engineered minimal cell3,4 contends with the forces of evolution compared with the Mycoplasma mycoides non-minimal cell from which it was synthetically derived. Mutation rates were the highest among all reported bacteria, but were not affected by genome minimization. Genome streamlining was costly, leading to a decrease in fi...
Van Rossum H Fundamentals Of Molecular Evolution Sinauer Associates Origins Of Genome Architecture Sinauer Associates Genome Architecture Sinauer Associates Molecular Evolution
Source: nature.com