substitutions

Energy-dependent de novo creation and neurogenesis

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See also: Tasting light links energy from creation to adaptation Developmentally defined forebrain circuits regulate appetitive and aversive olfactory learning reported as: When neurons are ‘born’ impacts olfactory behavior in mice My summary: The de novo creation of different cell types is placed into the context of their energy-dependent birth and the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance … Energy-dependent de novo creation and neurogenesis

Virus-mediated hecatombic evolution

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Virus-mediated archaeal hecatomb in the deep seafloor These findings provide new evidence for a possible link between viral infections and chemoautotrophic production in the microbial food web. My comment: I hereby stake my claim to the invention of the term”hecatombic evolution.” At the forthcoming meeting of the Royal Society next month, I expect full consideration … Virus-mediated hecatombic evolution

Does metabolism link beneficial mutations to cancer?

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Viruses steal nutrients needed by the cell. The theft deregulates protein folding, which is how viruses perturb biophysically constrained nutrient energy-dependent protein folding chemistry. The theft of nutrients by viruses links mutations to all pathology. Nutrients are required for RNA methylation and RNA-directed DNA methylation. Cell types do not hypermethylate unless nutrient-dependent hypermethylation is required … Does metabolism link beneficial mutations to cancer?

A 5-10K comparison of design principles to evolution

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Julie Theriot: Discovering Design Principles for Cells and Organisms Excerpt: …there is immense diversity in cellular structures. What are the underlying physical principles that allow these structures to emerge? Julie Theriot argues that protein folding theories fail to explain how cells build large-scale assemblies, and so scientists are working to develop a new theory of cell … A 5-10K comparison of design principles to evolution

RNA-mediated gene duplication, fixation, and ecological adaptation

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Chromosomal Arrangement of Phosphorelay Genes Couples Sporulation and DNA Replication Excerpt: The simplicity of this coordination mechanism suggests that it may be widely applicable in a variety of gene regulatory and stress-response settings. Reported as: Bacteria use DNA replication to time key decision Excerpt: “Successful sporulation requires two complete copies of the bacterial chromosome, so … RNA-mediated gene duplication, fixation, and ecological adaptation

“New” epigenetic mechanism for lifelong learning?

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Critical Role of Histone Turnover in Neuronal Transcription and Plasticity Reported as: Lifelong learning is made possible by recycling of histones, study says Also reported as: New epigenetic mechanism revealed in brain cells Excerpt: In humans, researchers used a technique called 14C/12C bomb pulse dating to measure turnover. The technique is based on the fact … “New” epigenetic mechanism for lifelong learning?

Alternative splicings: epigenetics meets pharmacogenomics

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Alternative splicing [is] …a regulated process during gene expression that results in a single gene coding for multiple proteins… [T]he proteins translated from alternatively spliced mRNAs will contain differences in their amino acid sequence and, often, in their biological functions…. See also: Alternative RNA Splicing in Evolution Excerpt: It now appears that alternative splicing is, … Alternative splicings: epigenetics meets pharmacogenomics

Epigenetic regulation of aging by glycine and GnRH

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Summary:  “…the regulation of two genes involved with the production of glycine, the smallest and simplest amino acid, is partly responsible for some of the characteristics of aging. This indicates that the aging process in the mitochondrion is controlled by epigenetic regulation, not by mutations.” My comment: The broad-based extension of the fact that aging … Epigenetic regulation of aging by glycine and GnRH