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Unknown unknowns: essential genes in quest for function.

ABSTRACT: The experimental design of a minimal synthetic genome revealed the presence of a large number of genes without ascribed function, in part because the abstract laws of life must be implemented within ad hoc material contraptions. Creating a function needs recruitment of some pre-existing structure and this reveals kludges in their set-up and history. Here, we show that looking for functions as an engineer would help in discovery of a significant number of those, proposed together with conceptual handles allowing investigators to pursue this endeavour in other contexts.

SUBMITTER: Danchin A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4993169 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Unknown unknowns: essential genes in quest for function.

Danchin Antoine A Fang Gang G

Microbial biotechnology 20160720 5

The experimental design of a minimal synthetic genome revealed the presence of a large number of genes without ascribed function, in part because the abstract laws of life must be implemented within ad hoc material contraptions. Creating a function needs recruitment of some pre-existing structure and this reveals kludges in their set-up and history. Here, we show that looking for functions as an engineer would help in discovery of a significant number of those, proposed together with conceptual ...[more]

PMID: 27435445

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