Month: September 2022

SECOND CONSENSUS: "eukaryotic genomes have a chimaeric nature: genes for information storage and processing are archaea-related, and genes for metabolic or ‘operational’ processes are mostly bacterial in nature (but not necessarily derived from the mitochondrial progenitor)." http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/content/41/1/451.full View in LinkedIn

THIRD CONSENSUS. "A significant fraction of the eukaryotic genes encode proteins that are restricted to eukaryotes, the so-called ESPs (eukaryotic signature proteins)." http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/content/41/1/451.full View in LinkedIn

PROK TO EUK TRANSITION. "The evolutionary transition from prokaryote to eukaryote has been a complex journey in which non-tree-like processes have probably played a decisive role." http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/content/41/1/451.full View in LinkedIn

"MASSIVE GENE DUPLICATION at the basis of the eukaryotic emergence. The existence of a large amount of pan-eukaryotic paralogues suggests that gene duplication has been a major driving force in eukaryotic evolution. For example, whereas many components of the eukaryotic core machinery comprise two or more gene copies, their prokaryotic counterparts mostly contain only a single gene." Generating more material to reformulate, a bigger tool box. http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/content/41/1/451.full View in LinkedIn

GENOMIC BEEFING UP. "The ancestral eukaryotic gene repertoire seems to have approximately doubled in size before the onset of the major eukaryotic radiations." http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/content/41/1/451.full View in LinkedIn

GENE AMPLIFICATION. "A significant part of the paralogous gene content of the ancestral eukaryotic gene content seems to be a result of lateral gene transfer, which, at least in part, was acquired via the endosymbiosis that gave rise to the emergence of the mitochondrion." The ancient symbiotic bacteria that became our nucleus supplied many genes to our repertoire. Genes outsourced? http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/content/41/1/451.full View in LinkedIn

CROSSING THE SPECIES BARRIER. "The origin of bacterial genes in eukaryotes. In addition to gene duplication, HGT events have played a major role in the emergence of the eukaryotic cell, as is evident by the significant amount of genes that clearly are of bacterial origin that reside on eukaryotic genomes." (HGT = Horizontal Gene Transfer). http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/content/41/1/451.full View in LinkedIn

THERE'S A BUG IN TNE OINTMENT. "On the basis of phylogenetic studies, part of these bacterial genes can be readily attributed to the alphaproteobacterial endosymbiont from which mitochondria evolved. Yet, the origin of the remaining set of bacterial genes in eukaryotic genomes, which seemingly lacks phylogenetic coherence, is a matter of debate." http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/content/41/1/451.full View in LinkedIn

Yesterday, I served on a panel of judges at London Business School's Healthcare challenge, where five finalist pitched for a 10,000 pound prize. A great team from Innersight (3D radiologic imaging for surgery) won the competition. As usual, LBS Heathcare Club excelled. View in LinkedIn

LBS Healthcare Challenge competition. View in LinkedIn