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PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
2010-9-24
pubmed:abstractText
Control analysis can be used to try to understand why (quantitatively) systems are the way that they are, from rate constants within proteins to the relative amount of different tissues in organisms. Many biological parameters appear to be optimized to maximize rates under the constraint of minimizing space utilization. For any biological process with multiple steps that compete for control in series, evolution by natural selection will tend to even out the control exerted by each step. This is for two reasons: (i) shared control maximizes the flux for minimum protein concentration, and (ii) the selection pressure on any step is proportional to its control, and selection will, by increasing the rate of a step (relative to other steps), decrease its control over a pathway. The control coefficient of a parameter P over fitness can be defined as (?N/N)/(?P/P), where N is the number of individuals in the population, and ?N is the change in that number as a result of the change in P. This control coefficient is equal to the selection pressure on P. I argue that biological systems optimized by natural selection will conform to a principle of sufficiency, such that the control coefficient of all parameters over fitness is 0. Thus in an optimized system small changes in parameters will have a negligible effect on fitness. This principle naturally leads to (and is supported by) the dominance of wild-type alleles over null mutants.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Oct
pubmed:issn
1470-8752
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
38
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1210-4
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2010
pubmed:articleTitle
The principle of sufficiency and the evolution of control: using control analysis to understand the design principles of biological systems.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK. gcb@mole.bio.cam.ac.uk
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article