Consequences of Within Organism Variation

9527716方法这个项目研究从细胞到生物体的进化过渡，目的是了解生物体作为一个新的选择单位的出现。所考虑的问题适用于进化中的所有重大转变，例如从单个基因到基因网络、从基因网络到类细菌细胞、从类细菌细胞到有细胞器的真核细胞、从细胞到多细胞生物、从孤立生物到社会。甄选单位的所有过渡都有两个共同主题：(1)较低级别单位在新的较高级别单位的运作中出现合作；(2)调节较低级别单位之间的冲突。这些问题表现在生物内部和生物之间的突变和选择的显性遗传模型中，目的是为了了解生物的某些一般但绝不是通用的特征：隔离生殖系的存在，母体在早期发育期间对细胞命运的控制，以及生殖周期通过单细胞状态--受精卵。这项研究适用于癌症发展过程中生物体内细胞之间的冲突。

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.