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Vitas M, Dobovišek A. Is Darwinian selection a retrograde driving force of evolution? Biosystems 2023; 233:105031. [PMID: 37734699 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.105031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Modern science has still not provided a satisfactory empirical explanation for the increasing complexity of living organisms through evolutionary history. As no agreed-upon definitions of the complexity exist, the working definition of biological complexity has been formulated. There is no theoretical reason to expect evolutionary lineages to increase in complexity over time, and there is no empirical evidence that they do so. In our discussion we have assumed the hypothesis that at the origins of life, evolution had to first involve autocatalytic systems that only subsequently acquired the capacity of genetic heredity. We discuss the role of Darwinian selection in evolution and pose the hypothesis that Darwinian selection acts predominantly as a retrograde driving force of evolution. In this context we understand the term retrograde evolution as a degeneration of living systems from higher complexity towards living systems with lower complexity. With the proposed hypothesis we have closed the gap between Darwinism and Lamarckism early in the evolutionary process. By Lamarckism, the action of a special principle called complexification force is understood here rather than inheritance of acquired characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Vitas
- Laze pri Borovnici 38, 1353, Borovnica, Slovenia.
| | - Andrej Dobovišek
- University of Maribor, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Koroška Cesta 160, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia; University of Maribor, Faculty of Medicine, Taborska Ulica 6B, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia.
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2
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Caetano-Anollés G. Agency in evolution of biomolecular communication. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2023; 1525:88-103. [PMID: 37219369 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Biomolecular communication demands that interactions between parts of a molecular system act as scaffolds for message transmission. It also requires an organized system of signs-a communicative agency-for creating and transmitting meaning. The emergence of agency, the capacity to act in a given context and generate end-directed behaviors, has baffled evolutionary biologists for centuries. Here, I explore its emergence with knowledge grounded in over two decades of evolutionary genomic and bioinformatic exploration. Biphasic processes of growth and diversification exist that generate hierarchy and modularity in biological systems at widely ranging time scales. Similarly, a biphasic process exists in communication that constructs a message before it can be transmitted for interpretation. Transmission dissipates matter-energy and information and involves computation. Agency emerges when molecular machinery generates hierarchical layers of vocabularies in an entangled communication network clustered around the universal Turing machine of the ribosome. Computations canalize biological systems to perform biological functions in a dissipative quest to structure long-lived occurrents. This occurs within the confines of a "triangle of persistence" that maximizes invariance with trade-offs between economy, flexibility, and robustness. Thus, learning from previous historical and circumstantial experiences unifies modules in a hierarchy that expands the agency of systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences and C. R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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Ishida T. Emergence Simulation of Biological Cell-like Shapes Satisfying the Conditions of Life Using a Lattice-Type Multiset Chemical Model. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12101580. [PMID: 36295015 PMCID: PMC9605168 DOI: 10.3390/life12101580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary One of the great challenges in science is determining when, where, why, and how life first arose as well as the form taken by this life. In the present study, life was assumed to be (1) bounded, (2) replicating, (3) able to inherit information, and (4) able to metabolize energy. The various existing hypotheses provide little explanation of how these four conditions for life were established. Indeed, “how” a chemical process that simultaneously satisfies all four conditions emerged after the materials for life were in place is not always clear. In this study, a multiset chemical lattice model, which allows for virtual molecules of multiple types to be placed in each cell on a two-dimensional space, was considered. Using only the processes of molecular diffusion, reaction, and polymerization and modeling the chemical reactions of 15 types of molecules and 2 types of polymerized molecules, as well as using the morphogenesis rule of the Turing model, the process of emergence of a cell-like form with all three conditions except evolution ability was modeled and demonstrated. Abstract Although numerous reports using methods such as molecular dynamics, cellular automata, and artificial chemistry have clarified the process connecting non-life and life on protocell simulations, none of the models could simultaneously explain the emergence of cell shape, continuous self-replication, and replication control solely from molecular reactions and diffusion. Herein, we developed a model to generate all three conditions, except evolution ability, from hypothetical chains of chemical and molecular polymerization reactions. The present model considers a 2D lattice cell space, where virtual molecules are placed in each cell, and molecular reactions in each cell are based on a multiset rewriting rule, indicating stochastic transition of molecular species. The reaction paths of virtual molecules were implemented by replacing the rules of cellular automata that generate Turing patterns with molecular reactions. The emergence of a cell-like form with all three conditions except evolution ability was modeled and demonstrated using only molecular diffusion, reaction, and polymerization for modeling the chemical reactions of 15 types of molecules and 2 types of polymerized molecules. Furthermore, controlling self-replication is possible by changing the initial arrangement of a specific molecule. In summary, the present model is capable of investigating and refining existing hypotheses on the emergence of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Ishida
- Department of Ocean Mechanical Engineering, National Fisheries University, Shimonoseki 759-6595, Japan
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Caetano-Anollés G, Janko R. The rise of hierarchy and modularity in biological networks explained by empedocles’ double tale ∼2,400 years before darwin and systems biology. Front Genet 2022; 13:973233. [PMID: 36061206 PMCID: PMC9428273 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.973233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, C.R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, and Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
- *Correspondence: Gustavo Caetano-Anollés,
| | - Richard Janko
- Department of Classical Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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Sun F, Caetano-Anollés G. Menzerath-Altmann's Law of Syntax in RNA Accretion History. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:489. [PMID: 34071925 PMCID: PMC8228408 DOI: 10.3390/life11060489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA evolves by adding substructural parts to growing molecules. Molecular accretion history can be dissected with phylogenetic methods that exploit structural and functional evidence. Here, we explore the statistical behaviors of lengths of double-stranded and single-stranded segments of growing tRNA, 5S rRNA, RNase P RNA, and rRNA molecules. The reconstruction of character state changes along branches of phylogenetic trees of molecules and trees of substructures revealed strong pushes towards an economy of scale. In addition, statistically significant negative correlations and strong associations between the average lengths of helical double-stranded stems and their time of origin (age) were identified with the Pearson's correlation and Spearman's rho methods. The ages of substructures were derived directly from published rooted trees of substructures. A similar negative correlation was detected in unpaired segments of rRNA but not for the other molecules studied. These results suggest a principle of diminishing returns in RNA accretion history. We show this principle follows a tendency of substructural parts to decrease their size when molecular systems enlarge that follows the Menzerath-Altmann's law of language in full generality and without interference from the details of molecular growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengjie Sun
- School of Science and Technology, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, USA;
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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Kunnev D. Origin of Life: The Point of No Return. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10110269. [PMID: 33153087 PMCID: PMC7693465 DOI: 10.3390/life10110269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Origin of life research is one of the greatest scientific frontiers of mankind. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain how life began. Although different hypotheses emphasize different initial phenomena, all of them agree around one important concept: at some point, along with the chain of events toward life, Darwinian evolution emerged. There is no consensus, however, how this occurred. Frequently, the mechanism leading to Darwinian evolution is not addressed and it is assumed that this problem could be solved later, with experimental proof of the hypothesis. Here, the author first defines the minimum components required for Darwinian evolution and then from this standpoint, analyzes some of the hypotheses for the origin of life. Distinctive features of Darwinian evolution and life rooted in the interaction between information and its corresponding structure/function are then reviewed. Due to the obligatory dependency of the information and structure subject to Darwinian evolution, these components must be locked in their origin. One of the most distinctive characteristics of Darwinian evolution in comparison with all other processes is the establishment of a fundamentally new level of matter capable of evolving and adapting. Therefore, the initiation of Darwinian evolution is the "point of no return" after which life begins. In summary: a definition and a mechanism for Darwinian evolution are provided together with a critical analysis of some of the hypotheses for the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimiter Kunnev
- Department of Oral Biology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
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Caetano-Anollés G, Aziz MF, Mughal F, Gräter F, Koç I, Caetano-Anollés K, Caetano-Anollés D. Emergence of Hierarchical Modularity in Evolving Networks Uncovered by Phylogenomic Analysis. Evol Bioinform Online 2019; 15:1176934319872980. [PMID: 31523127 PMCID: PMC6728656 DOI: 10.1177/1176934319872980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Networks describe how parts associate with each other to form integrated systems which often have modular and hierarchical structure. In biology, network growth involves two processes, one that unifies and the other that diversifies. Here, we propose a biphasic (bow-tie) theory of module emergence. In the first phase, parts are at first weakly linked and associate variously. As they diversify, they compete with each other and are often selected for performance. The emerging interactions constrain their structure and associations. This causes parts to self-organize into modules with tight linkage. In the second phase, variants of the modules diversify and become new parts for a new generative cycle of higher level organization. The paradigm predicts the rise of hierarchical modularity in evolving networks at different timescales and complexity levels. Remarkably, phylogenomic analyses uncover this emergence in the rewiring of metabolomic and transcriptome-informed metabolic networks, the nanosecond dynamics of proteins, and evolving networks of metabolism, elementary functionomes, and protein domain organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory,
Department of Crop Sciences, C.R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, and Illinois
Informatics Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - M Fayez Aziz
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory,
Department of Crop Sciences, C.R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, and Illinois
Informatics Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Fizza Mughal
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory,
Department of Crop Sciences, C.R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, and Illinois
Informatics Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Frauke Gräter
- Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical
Studies, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ibrahim Koç
- Department of Molecular Biology and
Genetics, Gebze Technical University, Gebze, Turkey
| | - Kelsey Caetano-Anollés
- Division of Biomedical Informatics,
College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Ariza-Mateos A, Briones C, Perales C, Domingo E, Gómez J. The archaeology of coding RNA. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1447:119-134. [PMID: 31237363 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Different theories concerning the origin of RNA (and, in particular, mRNA) point to the concatenation and expansion of proto-tRNA-like structures. Different biochemical and biophysical tools have been used to search for ancient-like RNA elements with a specific structure in genomic viral RNAs, including that of the hepatitis C virus, as well as in cellular mRNA populations, in particular those of human hepatocytes. We define this method as "archaeological," and it has been designed to discover evolutionary patterns through a nonphylogenetic and nonrepresentational strategy. tRNA-like elements were found in structurally or functionally relevant positions both in viral RNA and in one of the liver mRNAs examined, the antagonist interferon-alpha subtype 5 (IFNA5) mRNA. Additionally, tRNA-like elements are highly represented within the hepatic mRNA population, which suggests that they could have participated in the formation of coding RNAs in the distant past. Expanding on this finding, we have observed a recurring dsRNA-like motif next to the tRNA-like elements in both viral RNAs and IFNA5 mRNA. This suggested that the concatenation of these RNA motifs was an activity present in the RNA pools that might have been relevant in the RNA world. The extensive alteration of sequences that likely triggered the transition from the predecessors of coding RNAs to the first fully functional mRNAs (which was not the case in the stepwise construction of noncoding rRNAs) hinders the phylogeny-based identification of RNA elements (both sequences and structures) that might have been active before the advent of protein synthesis. Therefore, our RNA archaeological method is presented as a way to better understand the structural/functional versatility of a variety of RNA elements, which might represent "the losers" in the process of RNA evolution as they had to adapt to the selective pressures favoring the coding capacity of the progressively longer mRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ascensión Ariza-Mateos
- Laboratory of RNA Archaeology, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra" (CSIC), Granada, Spain.,Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Briones
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Celia Perales
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Clinical Microbiology, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, UAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Esteban Domingo
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jordi Gómez
- Laboratory of RNA Archaeology, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra" (CSIC), Granada, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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