On the Emergence of New Function in PrimitiveiBrote (original) (raw)

The problem of creating proteins with new functions out of already existing proteins is treated in some detail. It is shown that the generally accepted process of a gene-duplication followed by random mutational events should have been inefficient as a means of evolution in primitive cells. An alternative scheme, based on considerations of protein folding processes, is presented, and is shown, by the means of a specific example, to give a consistent picture of the evolution of primitive proteins with new functions.