title: Molecular evolution in bacteria.
abstract: Recent advances in microbiology and molecular biology have a unifying influence on our understanding of genetic diversity/similarity and evolutionary relationships in microorganisms. This article attempts to unify information from diverse areas such as microbiology, molecular biology, microbial physiology, clay crystal genes, metals-microbe-clay interactions and bacterial DNA restriction-modification systems (R-M) as they may apply to molecular evolution of bacteria. The possibility is discussed that the first informational molecules may have been catalytic RNA (micro-assembler) not DNA (now the master copy) and these first micro-assemblers may have been precursors of ribosomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Trevors
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D015280:DNA Restriction-Modification Enzymes; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013440:Sulfides / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D015280:DNA Restriction-Modification Enzymes; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D013440:Sulfides; C011342:pyrite; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D007501:Iron; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes