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Welcome to RNA-Mediated

A Message From J.V.Kohl:

Here you will find information that links physics, chemistry, and molecular epigenetics via RNA-mediated events such as the de novo creation of olfactory receptor genes in order to encourage a public discussion of a paradigm shift.

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Seeds of life: astrobiological theory and mutations theory

October 2, 2013
James Kohl
Pharmacogenomics, What's in the News
No Comments

Researchers propose new theory to explain seeds of life in asteroids October 1st, 2013 in Space & Earth / Space Exploration Excerpted from above: Both of the established theories – one involving the same radioactive process that heats the interior of Earth, and the other involving the interaction of plasma (super-heated gases that behave somewhat like fluids) and a magnetic field – are still taught to students of astrobiology. My comment: In the context of astrobiological theory and “seeds of…

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September 11, 2013
James Kohl
Model Organisms, Neuronal Plasticity, Physics
No Comments

After I posted 5 of the 14 comments to the National Geographic site during discussion of Mercenary Ants Protect Farmers With Chemical Weapons by Ed Yong, I got the message: “Your comment is awaiting “moderation” Typically, that means I will not be allowed to continue participation in the discussion I started, which is why I am blog-posting my comment here. Perhaps I have been too harsh in my responses to people who keep politely telling me I am WRONG. Perhaps,…

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Nutrient-dependent pheromone-controlled stickleback evolution

September 8, 2013
James Kohl
Diseases & Disorders, Human Brain, Model Organisms
No Comments

Sexual imprinting on ecologically divergent traits leads to sexual isolation in sticklebacks Excerpt: “Odour differences may be owing to pleiotropic effects of adaptive differences in diet [18], habitat [12] and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alleles selected by parasite differences [19,20].” Excerpt: “…imprinting has turned odour and nuptial coloration into magic traits.” My comment: In my model, natural odour production in vertebrates is not a magic trait. It results from the role of food odours in nutrient-dependent RNA-mediated ecological niche construction.…

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Functional coding variants are not mutations

August 25, 2013
James Kohl
Diseases & Disorders, Human Brain, Human Pheromones
No Comments

Rare coding variants of the adenosine A3 receptor are increased in autism: on the trail of the serotonin transporter regulome “Conclusions: Our results validate the hypothesis that the SERT regulatory network harbors rare, functional variants that impact SERT activity and regulation in ASD, and encourages further investigation of this network as a site for additional functional variation that may impact ASD risk.” My comment: This open access article mentions mutations, but the title and conclusion correctly infer that coding “variants”…

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Mirror neurons and microRNA: theory vs biological facts

August 24, 2013
James Kohl
Diseases & Disorders, Ecology, Human Brain
No Comments

Mirror neurons through the lens of epigenetics to be published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences Volume 17, Issue 9, September 2013, Pages 450–457. epub on 14 August 2013 Abstract excerpt: … we propose a new evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) perspective, which predicts that environmental differences early in development should produce variations in mirror neuron response patterns, tuning them to the social environment. See Figure 1: Excerpt: “…the early social experience produces modifications in gene expression through epigenetic marks, such as…

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Understanding the role of mutations and evolution

August 16, 2013
James Kohl
RNA Directed
No Comments

On  Fri Aug 16, 2013 at 10:21 am,  Clarence ‘Sonny’ Williams wrote: “As for mutations, some members of this group might have a misunderstanding regarding the role of mutations and evolution.  A review of college textbooks on evolution reveal this: Mutations are any change to the genomic sequence of an organism and mutations ARE REQUIRED for evolution. Yes, there are a few scientists who argue for such things as “genetic engineering” (e.g., James Shapiro) and “germ line epigenetic inheritance” in mammals (e.g., Eva…

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Alzheimer's, microRNAs, and olfaction

July 30, 2013
James Kohl
RNA Directed
No Comments

A Blood Test for Alzheimer’s? Circulating microRNAs could help doctors diagnose the neurodegenerative disease. By Jef Akst | July 30, 2013 Excerpt: “Testing the blood of 202 people for 140 different microRNAs (miRNAs), a team of researchers at Saarland University, in Germany, identified 12 RNA fragments circulating at consistently different levels in healthy people and patients with Alzheimer’s…” My comment: In my model, the microRNA/messenger RNA balance is nutrient-dependent and pheromone-controlled. The epigenetic landscape becomes the physical landscape of DNA…

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Evolution: innovations may have non-adaptive origins (sans mutations)

July 15, 2013
James Kohl
Adaptations, Ecology, Human Brain, Neuronal Plasticity
No Comments

Q & A: Evolution Makes Do By Chris Palmer Evolutionary biologist Andreas Wagner argues that many evolutionary innovations may have non-adaptive origins. Excerpt: “If exaptations are pervasive, then natural selection—which few doubt is critical for the preservation and spreading of traits—may not be that important for the origin of innovations in life’s history.” See also: Rapid detection of positive selection in genes and genomes through variation clusters Excerpt: “They occur in well-defined domains of a protein’s tertiary structure and show…

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Pheromones and cancer

April 30, 2013
James Kohl
RNA Directed
No Comments

Transcription Factor-MicroRNA-Target Gene Networks Associated with Ovarian Cancer Survival and Recurrence Excerpt: “MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that bind to complementary sequences on target mRNA transcripts, and thus, regulate gene expression at the post-transcription stage. Transcription factors (TFs) are a different type of regulator. These proteins bind to specific DNA sequences in the promoter region, promoting or repressing transcription into mRNA, and thus, regulate genes at a pre-transcription stage [4]. TFs and miRNAs can regulate each other and…

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Are pheromones responsible for human body odour assessment?

January 23, 2013
James Kohl
Pharmacogenomics, What's in the News
No Comments

Can You Smell Yourself? by Sarah C. P. Williams on 22 January 2013, 5:10 PM Excerpt: “Other molecules the human body produces could also influence individual smells and scent preferences, Zufall says. The individuality of people’s microbiomes—the collection of microbes living in and on us—could also be linked to the body’s odor or preferences, Wedekind says. “We just don’t know the full physiology yet,” he said, “But this is a good start.” My comment: The full physiology has been detailed.…

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