Molecular evolution articles from across Nature Portfolio

Molecular evolution is the area of evolutionary biology that studies evolutionary change at the level of the DNA sequence. It includes the study of rates of sequence change, relative importance of adaptive and neutral changes, and changes in genome structure.

Latest Research and Reviews

Research
07 June 2023 | Open Access

Bacteria-phage coevolution with a seed bank
- Daniel A. Schwartz
- , William R. Shoemaker
- & Jay T. Lennon
The ISME Journal, 1-11
Research | 07 June 2023

Lost world of complex life and the late rise of the eukaryotic crown

Analysis of sedimentary rocks from the mid-Proterozoic interval reveals traces of protosteroids, suggesting the widespread presence of stem-group eukaryotes that predated and co-existed with the crown-group ancestors of modern eukaryotes.
- Jochen J. Brocks
- , Benjamin J. Nettersheim
- & Janet M. Hope
Nature, 1-7
Research
01 June 2023 | Open Access

Polyproline type II helical antifreeze proteins are widespread in Collembola and likely originated over 400 million years ago in the Ordovician Period
- Connor L. Scholl
- , Martin Holmstrup
- & Peter L. Davies
Scientific Reports 13, 8880
Research | 01 June 2023

Backcrossing to different parents produced two distinct hybrid species
- Donglei Wang
- , Yongshuai Sun
- & Dafu Ru
Heredity, 1-11
Research
29 May 2023 | Open Access

Rapid evolution of A(H5N1) influenza viruses after intercontinental spread to North America

Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b underwent an explosive geographic expansion in 2021 among wild birds and domestic poultry. Here, Kandeil et al. show that the Western movement of this clade was followed by reassortment with viruses circulating in wild birds in North America which resulted in different genotypes exhibiting a wide range of disease severity in mammal models (mice, ferrets, chicken) ranging from asymptomatic disease to severe neurological pathology.
- Ahmed Kandeil
- , Christopher Patton
- & Richard J. Webby
Nature Communications 14, 3082
Reviews | 24 May 2023

Loop dynamics and the evolution of enzyme activity

Enzyme conformational plasticity plays an important part in expanding the functional diversity of a limited repertoire of sequences. This Review discusses the role of flexible loops in enzyme evolution, focusing on both examples from natural evolution and engineering success stories.
- Marina Corbella
- , Gaspar P. Pinto
- & Shina C. L. Kamerlin
Nature Reviews Chemistry, 1-12

All Research & Reviews

News and Comment

News & Views | 03 April 2023

Accidental surface compatibility paved the way for a new molecular interaction

In cyanobacteria, the interaction between an orange carotenoid protein and its allosteric regulator evolved when a horizontal gene transfer event first brought the two proteins together. However, the surface compatibility between the proteins had already emerged. This finding implies that specific protein–protein interactions can evolve without the action of direct natural selection.

Nature Ecology & Evolution 7, 653-654
Research Highlights | 13 December 2022

Social shifts in spiders

A comparative genomics study published in Nature Communications provides new insight into the genomic changes underlying the convergent evolution of sociality in spiders.
- Dorothy Clyde
Nature Reviews Genetics 24, 70
News & Views | 27 October 2022

Plasmid evolution in the clinic

Plasmids are well known for transferring antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria. A study in the clinic shows that evolutionary dynamics within the gut microbiomes of hospitalized patients lead to rapid adaptive changes, balancing the level of resistance that plasmids provide against the fitness costs that they impose on bacteria.
- Rosanna C. T. Wright
- & Michael A. Brockhurst
Nature Ecology & Evolution 6, 1806-1807
Correspondence | 30 June 2022

Eukaryotes were shaped by Oxygen
- Dave Speijer
Nature Ecology & Evolution 6, 1242
Comments & Opinion | 30 May 2022

An early warning system for emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

Global sequencing and surveillance capacity for SARS-CoV-2 must be strengthened and combined with multidisciplinary studies of infectivity, virulence and immune escape, in order to track the unpredictable evolution of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
- Lorenzo Subissi
- , Anne von Gottberg
- & Anurag Agrawal
Nature Medicine 28, 1110-1115
News & Views | 31 March 2022

Characterizing the landscape of evolvability

A framework to experimentally traverse the large space of functionally neutral variants in a toxin–antitoxin protein complex reveals insights on evolvability and entrenchment of molecular interactions.
- Faruck Morcos
Nature Ecology & Evolution 6, 500-501