Evolution of protein synthesis in a lattice model of replicators

Autor(es)

Rosas‚ A. ; Ferreira‚ CP ; Fontanari‚ JF

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Physical Review Letters; v. 89, n. 18, p. 188101, 2002.

Resumo

The traditional chemical-kinetics approach to the study of prebiotic evolution cannot explain the evolution of protein synthesis in a homogeneous population of self-replicating molecules, because the invasion of a resident population of simpler, template-directed replicators by mutant protein-assisted replicators is deemed impossible. Approaching this problem in a spatial cellular automaton framework, we argue here that in such a setting evolution of protein synthesis is a likely event. In addition, we show that the onset of invasion may be viewed as a nonequilibrium phase transition, that can be characterized quantitatively by a set of critical exponents. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 99/09644-9 - Evolução molecular teórica
• Beneficiário: José Fernando Fontanari
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático