Law of Genome Evolution Direction : Coding Information Quantity Grows

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the quantity of coding information in genomes consistently increases during evolution, driven by functional needs, through mechanisms like duplication and gene transfer, indicating a directional trend in genome evolution.

Contribution

It introduces the concept that genome evolution is characterized by a continuous growth in coding information quantity, linking it to functional innovation and evolutionary directionality.

Findings

Coding information quantity grows over evolutionary time.

Growth is driven by sequence duplication, expansion, and gene transfer.

Increase in coding information correlates with functional innovation.

Abstract

The problem of the directionality of genome evolution is studied. Based on the analysis of C-value paradox and the evolution of genome size we propose that the function-coding information quantity of a genome always grows in the course of evolution through sequence duplication, expansion of code, and gene transfer from outside. The function-coding information quantity of a genome consists of two parts, p-coding information quantity which encodes functional protein and n-coding information quantity which encodes other functional elements except amino acid sequence. The evidences on the evolutionary law about the function-coding information quantity are listed. The needs of function is the motive force for the expansion of coding information quantity and the information quantity expansion is the way to make functional innovation and extension for a species. So, the increase of coding information quantity of a genome is a measure of the acquired new function and it determines the directionality of genome evolution.