Consequences of Within Organism Variation

9527716 MICHOD本项目研究从细胞到生物体的进化过渡，以了解生物体作为一种新的选择单位的出现。所考虑的问题适用于进化中的所有主要转变，例如从单个基因到基因网络，从基因网络到细菌样细胞，从细菌样细胞到具有细胞器的真核细胞，从细胞到多细胞生物，以及从孤立生物到社会。选择单元中的所有过渡都有两个共同的主题：（i）在新的更高级别单元的运作中，较低级别单元之间的合作的出现，以及（ii）较低级别单元之间冲突的调节。这些问题在明确的基因突变和选择模型内和生物体之间的理解某些一般的，但绝不是普遍的，生物体的功能：存在一个隔离的生殖系，在早期发育过程中的细胞命运的母亲控制，并通过一个单一的细胞状态受精卵的生殖周期。这项研究适用于癌症发展过程中生物体内产生的细胞之间的冲突。

9527716 MICHOD This project studies the transition in evolution from cells to organisms for the purpose of understanding the emergence of organisms as a new unit of selection. The issues considered are applicable to all major transitions in evolution, such as from individual genes to gene networks, from gene networks to bacteria-like cells, from bacteria-like cells to eukaryotic cells with organelles, from cells to multicellular organisms, and from solitary organisms to societies. All transitions in the units of selection share two common themes: (i) the emergence of cooperation among the lower level units in the functioning of the new higher level unit, and (ii) regulation of conflict among the lower level units. These issues are represented in explicit genetical models of mutation and selection within and between organisms for the purpose of understanding certain general, but by no means universal, features of organisms: the presence of a sequestered germ line, maternal control of cell fate during early development, and the passage of the reproductive cycle through a single cell state-the zygote. The research is applicable to the conflict among cells that arises within organisms in the development of cancers.