Progenote

Quick meaning: Progenote is a noun meaning (biology, evolutionary theory) Any (hypothesised) primordial organism in which the relationship between genotype and phenotype was still evolving.

Meaning

(biology, evolutionary theory) Any (hypothesised) primordial organism in which the relationship between genotype and phenotype was still evolving.

More Meanings

1. (evolutionary theory, loosely) The most recent common ancestor to all organisms now living on Earth; LUCA; specifically, the most recent progenitor of all archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes.

Example Sentences

The progenote model sees organisms as genetically communal and the community as evolving as a whole, not the individual cell lines therein.

It is sometimes assumed that the concepts of LUCA and progenote are the same by definition; more correctly, it is hypothesised that LUCA was a progenote.

As to the physical nature and organization of progenotes, Woese was carefully and purposely agnostic, but he entertained the possibility that progenotes were precellular entities lacking even a bounding membrane.

Inaccuracy of information transfer would manifest itself in two ways that strongly shape the nature of the progenote. It would severely limit the number of different genes the progenote could carry, and the generally lower biological specificity would then mean that overall, fine-tuned, feed-back mechanisms that make the cell today the smooth functioning whole that it is, would be missing.

Word Forms

• progenotes

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include progenitor, proto-organism, protomorph, genophore, perigenesis, protospecies.

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