This is the sort of recurring pattern that one might expect to see in designed systems, but it is more surprising in stochastically evolved systems. It therefore suggests that operon regulation is best understood as the product of engineering rather than blind, unguided processes.
Recurring Design Logic in Attenuation Mechanisms Read More »
The design logic is the same. And yet, these two systems are not evolutionarily related to one another — as evidenced by the fact that the enzymes encoded by these two operons do not share sequence homology, indicating distinct evolutionary origins.
Recurring Design Logic in Operon Regulation Read More »
The headline that prompted me to read this paper claimed that the study “shows how bacteria evolved powered-up propellers.” But the paper does not do this at all. All it shows is another example of a flagellar protein that bears homology to a non-flagellar protein.
Fact Check: Has a Study Shown “How Bacteria Evolved Powered-Up Propellers”? Read More »