Structural inheritance
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Structural inheritance is the transmission of a trait in a living organism by a self-perpetuating spatial structures. This is in contrast to the transmission of digital information such as is found in DNA sequences, which accounts for the vast majority of known genetic variation.
Examples of structural inheritance include yeast prions, and has also been seen in the orientation of cilia. Some other organelles may also demonstrate structural inheritance, and the cell itself (defined by the plasma membrane) may also be an example of structural inheritance.
External link
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences supplement: Self-Perpetuating Structural States in Biology, Disease, and Genetics (http://www.pnas.org/content/vol99/suppl_4/)