Mobile genetic elements shape microbial gene repertoires and populations. Recent results
reveal that many, possibly most, microbial mobile genetic elements require helpers to …

Although the majority of annotated new genes in a given genome appear to have arisen
from duplication-related mechanisms, recent studies have shown that genes can also …

The origin and fixation of evolutionarily young genes is a fundamental question in
evolutionary biology. However, understanding the origins of newly evolved genes arising de …

Species-specific genes, also known as orphans, are ubiquitous across life's domains. In
prokaryotes, species-specific orphan genes (SSOGs) are mostly thought to originate in …

Bacterial proteins of≤ 50 amino acids, denoted small proteins or microproteins, have been
traditionally understudied and overlooked, as standard computational, biochemical, and …

During de novo emergence, new protein coding genes emerge from previously nongenic
sequences. The de novo proteins they encode are dissimilar in composition and predicted …

Host-pathogen conflicts are crucibles of molecular innovation. Selection for immunity to
pathogens has driven the evolution of sophisticated immunity mechanisms throughout …

Summary Prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archaea) encode a highly diversified arsenal of
defence systems that protect them against mobile genetic elements, such as phages and …

Proteins that emerge de novo from noncoding DNA could negatively or positively influence
cellular physiology in the sense of providing a possible adaptive advantage. Here, we …

For a long time, it was believed that new genes arise only from modifications of preexisting
genes, but the discovery of de novo protein‐coding genes that originated from noncoding …