Experimental evolution for cell biology.

Evolutionary cell biology is an emerging field that explores how cellular processes have been shaped by evolution, and conversely, how cell biological variation has influenced the evolutionary process. Complementing insights from comparative phylogenetics, experimental evolution is now increasingly used in combination with cell biological assays to replay segments of evolutionary history in real time. Formal adoption of experimental evolution into the established evolutionary cell biology toolbox requires an integrated experimental framework with tailored experimental design. Evolutionary cell biology explores the origins, principles, and core functions of cellular features and regulatory networks through the lens of evolution. This emerging field relies heavily on comparative experiments and genomic analyses that focus exclusively on extant diversity and historical events, providing limited opportunities for experimental validation. In this opinion article, we explore the potential for experimental laboratory evolution to augment the evolutionary cell biology toolbox, drawing inspiration from recent studies that combine laboratory evolution with cell biological assays. Primarily focusing on approaches for single cells, we provide a generalizable template for adapting experimental evolution protocols to provide fresh insight into long-standing questions in cell biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]