Moger-Reischer, R. Z. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2021

Evolution of a minimal cell

Possessing only essential genes, a minimal cell can reveal mechanisms and processes that are critical for the persistence and stability of life. Here, we report on how a synthetically constructed minimal cell contends with the forces of evolution compared to a non-minimized cell from which it was derived. Genome streamlining was costly, but 80% of fitness was regained in 2000 generations. Although selection acted upon divergent sets of mutations, the rates of adaptation in the minimal and non-minimal cell were equivalent. The only apparent constraint of minimization involved epistatic interactions that inhibited the evolution of cell size. Together, our findings demonstrate the power of natural selection to rapidly optimize fitness in the simplest autonomous organism, with implications for the evolution of cellular complexity.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Low costs of adaptation to dietary restriction

Dietary restriction (DR) is the most successful and widespread means of extending organismal lifespan. However, the evolutionary basis of life extension under DR remains uncertain. The traditional evolutionary explanation is that when organisms experience DR, they allocate endogenous resources to survival and postpone reproduction until conditions improve. However, this life-extension strategy should be maladaptive if DR continues for multiple generations due to tradeoffs between longevity and reproduction. To test this prediction, we subjected the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to 1,800 generations of evolution on restricted (i.e., DR) vs. non-restricted diets. Adaptation to a non-restricted diet improved reproductive fitness by 57% on that diet, but provided a much smaller (14%) advantage on a restricted diet. In contrast, adaptation to DR resulted in an approximately 35% increase in reproductive fitness on both restricted and non-restricted diets. Importantly, the life-extending effect of DR did not decrease following long-term evolution on the restricted diet. Thus, contrary to theoretical expectations, we found no evidence that the life-extending DR response became maladaptive during multigenerational DR. Our results suggest the DR response may have a low cost and that this phenomenon may have evolved for reasons that extend beyond the benefits of postponing reproduction.

evolutionary biology↗