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VIRAL EDITING OF HOST IDENTITY. "Since viruses are naturally competent in host code but also extend that code, they are natural agents for code editing. They are also natural agents to create new host identity (self), although this typically involves cooperative populations of agents." https://lnkd.in/dk3eXRj View in LinkedIn

STABLE VIRAL COLONIES. "The study of DNA virus persistence and RNA virus evolution has defined the concepts of addiction modules and quasispecies which can respectively explain the persistence of virus information and the cooperative evolution of viral populations (including defective virus). Together, these concepts can be applied to a wide array of phenomena that emerge from stable virus colonization of host." https://lnkd.in/dk3eXRj View in LinkedIn

GROUP IDENTITY. "I consider the RNA (ribozyme) world scenario from the perspective of addiction modules and cooperating quasispecies (i.e., subfunctional agents that establish group identity). Such an RNA collective resembles a “gang” but requires the simultaneous emergence of endonuclease, ligase, cooperative catalysis, group identity, and history markers (RNA). I call such a collective a gangen (pathway to gang) needed for life to emerge." http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.12565/full View in LinkedIn

VIRAL JUMPING GENES. “The genomes of many eukaryotes contain a high amount of transposable elements – DNA sequences that can change their position within the genome...transposable elements can impact the gene content of a genome by inducing gene knockouts, modulating gene regulation or causing double-strand DNA breaks by transposable elements excision.” https://lnkd.in/eC8eb-V View in LinkedIn

STEM-LOOP RNA. "Quasispecies can also demonstrate group preclusion (e.g., hepatitis C). Stem-loop RNA domains are found in long terminal repeats (and viral RNA) and mediate viral regulation/identity. Thus, stem-loop RNAs may be ancestral regulators." http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.12565/full View in LinkedIn

PECULIAR ROTIFER CASE. “Asexual metazoan bdelloid rotifer Adineta vaga revealed a genomic structure that is dominated by genomic rearrangements, mainly through mitotic recombination. Interestingly, this structure is incompatible with meiotic recombination since allelic regions, that normally pair during meiosis, are rearranged.” https://lnkd.in/eC8eb-V View in LinkedIn

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION. “Recent findings suggest that the absence of an obvious sexual lifestyle does not necessarily result in limited genetic diversity, and that in particular genomic rearrangements can foster adaptation.” https://lnkd.in/eC8eb-V View in LinkedIn

NO NEED FOR SEX. “Genome rearrangements foster evolution in the absence of sex.” https://lnkd.in/eC8eb-V View in LinkedIn

ROLE IN ADAPTATIONS. “The common occurrence of structured genomes therefore highlights their likely evolutionary advantage to foster adaptations. Dispensable chromosomes that determine pathogenicity in various species can be seen as the most extreme case of genome structuring.” https://lnkd.in/eC8eb-V View in LinkedIn

ISLANDS AND PERIPHERY. “Structured genomes contain islands of “core” genes involved in essential functions as well as regions of genes that play a role in adaptation and interaction with the environment. This structure fosters short-term adaptations by increasing the probability of favorable mutations using chromosomal rearrangements.” https://lnkd.in/eC8eb-V View in LinkedIn