Images of Evolution: Origin of Spontaneous RNA Replication Waves

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 90; no. 9; pp. 4191 - 4195
• Main Authors: McCaskill, J. S., Bauer, G. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 01.05.1993; National Acad Sciences; National Academy of Sciences
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biological Evolution; Enzymes; Evolution; Fluorescence; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Kinetics; Models, Genetic; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Molecules; Q beta Replicase - metabolism; Replication; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA - biosynthesis; RNA - genetics; RNA Nucleotidyltransferases - metabolism; RNA Viruses - genetics; Selection, Genetic; Space life sciences; Spacetime; Stochastic Processes; Velocity; Wave fronts; Wave velocity; Visualization; RNA; Enzyme; Selection; Phage Q beta; RNA polymerase; Virus; Molecular evolution; Levivirus; Replication; Models; Leviviridae; Phage
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.90.9.4191

Self-replicating molecules set up traveling concentration waves that propagate in an aqueous enzyme solution. The velocity of each wave provides an accurate (±0.1%) noninvasive measure of fitness for the RNA species currently growing in its front. Evolution may be followed from changes in the front velocity, and these differ from wave to wave. Thousands of controlled evolution reactions in traveling waves have been monitored in parallel to obtain quantitative images of the stochastic process of natural selection. An RNA polymerase (RNA-dependent RNA nucleotidyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.6), extracted from bacteria infected by the Qβ RNA virus, catalyzes the replication. The traveling waves that arise spontaneously without added RNA provide a model system for major evolutionary change.