Article Abstract:
The early evolution of the genetic code is discussed in this minireview. Some processes can be repeated in laboratories. The diversity of the events allows researchers to infer that an explanation for the fixation of the canonical code in the Last Universal Common Ancestor of extant life (LUCA) will demand historical reconstruction more than reasoning from chemical principles.
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Article Abstract:
Comparative genomics and its impact on the understanding of evolution are discussed. In 2100 ancient families of orthologs identified by comparing 21 archaeal, bacterial, and eukaryotic genomes, only 80 are found in each organism. Yet genome comparisons show the great unity of all living things. Most of the universal families have core components of the translation and transcription mechanisms. Researchers now know that there is no true understanding of the connection between genome and phenotype in an organism. This is in some sense the central theme of biology. It can be solved only by using an experimental program based on comparative-genomic results.
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Article Abstract:
Cleavage of cohesin by the CD clan protease separin has been found to trigger anaphase in yeast. Separin is a cysteine protease related to caspases. Cleavage of Scc1 in metaphase-arrested cells is adequate to bring on the separation of sister chromatids and segregation to opposite cell poles. The CD clan includes legumains, caspases, gingipains, clostripains and GPI-anchor amidases.
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