Genome expansion in early eukaryotes drove the transition from lateral gene transfer to meiotic sex

Prokaryotes acquire genes from the environment via lateral gene transfer (LGT). Recombination of environmental DNA can prevent the accumulation of deleterious mutations, but LGT was abandoned by the first eukaryotes in favour of sexual reproduction. Here we develop a theoretical model of a haploid p...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marco Colnaghi, Nick Lane, Andrew Pomiankowski
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2020-09-01
Series:eLife
Subjects:
Online Access:https://elifesciences.org/articles/58873