Are there laws of genome evolution?

TL;DR

This paper discusses universal regularities in genome evolution, proposing that these patterns are emergent properties of gene ensembles and may be considered laws of evolutionary genomics, similar to physical laws.

Contribution

It introduces simple mathematical models that explain universal genome evolution patterns without explicitly involving natural selection.

Findings

Universal distributions in gene evolution rates and network properties.

Models like birth-death-innovation explain these universals.

Universals are emergent, not directly shaped by selection.

Abstract

Research in quantitative evolutionary genomics and systems biology led to the discovery of several universal regularities connecting genomic and molecular phenomic variables. These universals include the log-normal distribution of the evolutionary rates of orthologous genes; the power law-like distributions of paralogous family size and node degree in various biological networks; the negative correlation between a gene's sequence evolution rate and expression level; and differential scaling of functional classes of genes with genome size. The universals of genome evolution can be accounted for by simple mathematical models similar to those used in statistical physics, such as the birth-death-innovation model. These models do not explicitly incorporate selection, therefore the observed universal regularities do not appear to be shaped by selection but rather are emergent properties of gene ensembles. Although a complete physical theory of evolutionary biology is inconceivable, the universals of genome evolution might qualify as 'laws of evolutionary genomics' in the same sense 'law' is understood in modern physics.