The evolution of secondary metabolism – a unifying model

• Published in: Molecular microbiology Vol. 37; no. 5; pp. 989 - 994
• Main Authors: Firn, Richard D., Jones, Clive G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.09.2000; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Bacteria - metabolism; Biological Evolution; biotransformation; Humans; Models, Biological; secondary metabolism

Why do microbes make secondary products? That question has been the subject of intense debate for many decades. There are two extreme opinions. Some argue that most secondary metabolites play no role in increasing the fitness of an organism. The opposite view, now widely held, is that every secondar...