The elongation phase of translation is promoted by three universal elongation factors, EF-Tu, EF-Ts, and EF-G in bacteria and their homologs in archaea and eukaryotes. Recent findings demonstrate that the translation of a subset of mRNAs requires a fourth elongation factor, EF-P in bacteria or the homologs factors a/eIF5A in other kingdoms of life. EF-P prevents the ribosome from stalling durin...

Genetic variation in fitness is the fundamental prerequisite for adaptive evolutionary change. If there is no variation in survival and reproduction or if this variation has no genetic basis, then the composition of a population will not evolve over time. Consequently, the factors influencing genetic variation in fitness have received close attention from evolutionary biologists. One key factor...

Phenotypic states and evolutionary trajectories available to cell populations are ultimately dictated by complex interactions among DNA, RNA, proteins, and other molecular species. Here we study how evolution of gene regulation in a single-cell eukaryote S. cerevisiae is affected by interactions between transcription factors (TFs) and their cognate DNA sites. Our study is informed by a comprehe...

The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio and aerobic fitness as predictors of cardiovascular risk factor clustering in children. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 290 school boys and girls from 6 to 10 years old, randomly selected. Blood was collected after a 12-hour fasting period. Blood pressure, waist circumfe...

Turkeys vaccinated with various experimental vaccines and a commerical bacterin for fowl cholera and surviving an artificially induced epornitic were killed, and their carcasses were examined for wholesomeness. It was evident that, if the "fitness for human consumption" judgement was considered in addition to mortality, efficacy ratings of the various vaccines changed. This suggests that the "f...

In this issue of the Digest readers have the opportunity to read a synthesis paper on "Heredity and Health-Related Fitness" written by the most prominent scholar in the area. While we have known for some time that heredity was a factor affecting fitness performances, it was not until Dr. Bouchard and his colleagues began their in-depth studies in the area that we began to really know the extent...