Executable Inheritance: A Systems Hypothesis for the Minimum Executable Inherited State Required to Interpret Hereditary Information

Classical heredity is generally described as the transmission of genetic information, particularly DNA. However, a daughter cell does not inherit DNA in isolation. It inherits an already functioning molecular state containing ribosomes, polymerases, RNAs, proteins, membranes, metabolites, organelles, and regulatory systems that enable genomic information to become biologically executable. This paper proposes the Executable Inheritance hypothesis, arguing that biological inheritance comprises two inseparable components: persistent hereditary information and the minimum executable molecular state required to interpret that information. Three formal constructs are introduced: the Executable Inherited State (EIS), the Minimum Executable Inherited State (MEIS), and the Minimum Bootstrap Set (MBS). The paper synthesizes evidence from cytoplasmic inheritance, maternal-to-zygotic transition, minimal-cell biology, synthetic biology, and systems biology into a unified conceptual framework. It proposes a metastudy designed to identify the minimum inherited molecular machinery required for successful daughter-cell lineage continuation. Rather than replacing classical genetics, the framework extends it by distinguishing long-term hereditary information from the inherited executable state that permits its interpretation.