Genetic information transmission

Abstract

In the last chapter we were primarily concerned with the role of genetic information in the day-to-day life of the cell. We noted in passing that mitosis transmits the cell’s entire complement of genetic information to the new generation of cells. In this chapter we examine more closely this transmission of genetic information to subsequent generations. We will touch both extremes of the time scale, from the replication of viruses and bacteria (a matter of minutes) to the evolution of new animal species (a matter of millenia). And we will discover that exact preservation of genetic information down through the generations is not always a good thing. New genes and new combinations of old genes may improve a species’ adaptation to its changing environment. Most of the genetic recombination mechanisms we will study have the introduction and maintenance of genetic variety as their primary function.