The physical basis and practical consequences of biological promiscuity.

摘要: Proteins interact with metabolites, nucleic acids, and other proteins to orchestrate the myriad catalytic, structural regulatory functions that support life from simplest microbes most complex multicellular organisms. These molecular interactions are often exquisitely specific, but never perfectly so. Adventitious "promiscuous" ubiquitous due thousands of macromolecules small molecules crowded together in cells. Such may perturb protein function at level, as long they do not compromise organismal fitness, will be removed by natural selection. Although promiscuous physiologically irrelevant, important because can provide a vast reservoir potential starting point for evolution new functions, both nature laboratory.