Evolution of macromolecular structure: a 'double tale' of biological accretion

TL;DR

This paper reviews how biological structures evolve through a process of accretion and change, leading to modular organization and higher-level complexity across various biological and structural systems.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of a 'double tale' of evolution involving structural accretion and modular reorganization, supported by genomics and network biology evidence.

Findings

Modules form through diversification and competition.

Modules evolve into new parts for higher-level organization.

Maximum abundance principle influences module gain and loss.

Abstract

The evolution of structure in biology is driven by accretion and change. Accretion brings together disparate parts to form bigger wholes. Change provides opportunities for growth and innovation. Here we review patterns and processes that are responsible for a 'double tale' of evolutionary accretion at various levels of complexity, from proteins and nucleic acids to high-rise building structures in cities. Parts are at first weakly linked and associate variously. As they diversify, they compete with each other and are selected for performance. The emerging interactions constrain their structure and associations. This causes parts to self-organize into modules with tight linkage. In a second phase, variants of the modules evolve and become new parts for a new generative cycle of higher-level organization. Evolutionary genomics and network biology support the 'double tale' of structural module creation and validate an evolutionary principle of maximum abundance that drives the gain and loss of modules.