Question

"There is an enormous diversity of biomolecules used in cellular life. Each of the molecules requires one or more proteins to be synthesized, folded, and/or regulated. Scientists are interested in understanding the minimum number of proteins, coded for by genes, required for life. Most free-living bacteria carry between 1,000 to 2,000 genes. However, parasitic bacteria such as Mycoplasma spp. carry as few as 500 genes. Based on this knowledge, what do you think might be the minimum number of genes required for life?"

Answer 1

Answer:

The minimum number of genes required for life varies from specie to specie.

Explanation:

According to ONE-GENE-ONE POLYPEPTIDE hypothesis, a single gene can only encode only one polypeptide which in turn form proteins after futher processing. In case of mycoplasmas, the gene number is 500 according to their body requirement. They lack cell wall and other components that make it easy to encode that much required information in only 500 genes. As we go on higher levels, the gene number spontaneously increases because of complex organization from uni-to-multicellular, You can  take a ascending increase by comparing 500 genes of mycoplasmas and 3.1 Billion bp genome of Homo sapiens...