The complexity of simplicity.
What is the minimum number of genes or functions necessary to support cellular life? The concept of a 'minimal genome' has become popular, but is it a useful concept, and if so, what might a minimal genome encode? We argue that the concept may be useful, even though the goal of defining a general minimal genome may never be attained.
Peterson
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The Institute for Genomic Research, 9712 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA. scottp@tigr.org
Fraser
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D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development