NormMessinger
02-14-2003, 07:20 PM
So, when you all igorned my assertion that "God [i.e., the belief in] is a mutation" I figured I needed a little help. So I mentioned the existence of Ian's thread to son Lynn, the molecular biologist. Fortunatly he couldn't remember his password or the email address he used when he was "participating" in The Forum. In any case he does not deal is speculation on this subject as I may be inclined to do (see above).
He did offer me the following story which demonstrates the power of a little piece of DNA. Enjoy.
Subject: Re: The Bible According to Peter....
To: Norm Messinger <ngmessinger@cox.net>
Boy em I mad at you for sending me the creationist thread. I almost
posted a new topic. Fortunately I can't remember my password or what
email address I used. Whew.
Topic: Very Cool Story
My Dad screwed up and sent me the link to Ian Wrights' runaway thread.
There are enough potentially interested people that it made me want to
share without entering a tired old fray. Must be the ethanol. So here
goes.
It seems a muse spoke to some evolutionary Biologists thusly: "Go forth
and study the notothenioids" So they did. And it was good. This is some
of what they found out.
Once upon a time a long time ago (7-15 million years ago) their was a
pancreatic trypsinogen gene. This trypsinogen gene was in a fish that
lived near the Antarctic. This was not a good time to be a fish near the
Antarctic. Though food was plentiful the water was growing colder and
colder until it fell below the freezing temperature of fish flesh which
is -0.7 to -1.0C. Apparently freezing makes it hard to swim so the fish
weren't doing very well. A certain goddess, being omniscient, was aware
of the situation and resolved to tinker. She commanded the trypsinogen
gene to duplicate and then to suffer a series of mutations. The first
mutation formed a new gene consisting of trypsinogen's 5' untranslated
region, the first exon (thus providing the secretion signal), intron
one, part of exon two and exon six.
As I think I mentioned, the goddess is omniscient. She is also
omnipotent. Neither is she stupid. This was of paramount importance
because she understood that splicing up pieces of a trypsinogen gene
wouldn't do diddly for a cold fish. She also knew - having been a
co-author of the bacterial ice nucleation gene INA - something about how
water freezes. Armed with that knowledge she sallied forth and caused a
series of iterative mutations, a frame shift and added a strong dose of
natural selection (remember the food and cold water?). Wallah we have
sequence #2102688.
>gi|2102688|gb|AAB57731.1| AFGP polyprotein precursor
MKPLALLLLIGAAAVTAAPAATAATPATAATPALNYAATAATPATAATAA LIFAATAATPATAATAALIF
AATAATPATAATPALIFAATAATPATPALIFAATAATPATAATPATAAFN FAATAATPATAATAALIFAA
TAATAATPATPALNFAATAATAATAATPATAALNFATAATAATPATPALN FAATAATPATAATPALNFAA
TAATAATPATAALNFAATAATAATPATAAFNFAATAATPATAATPALIFA ATAATPATAATPALNFATAA
TAATPATPALNFAATAATAATAATPATAALNFATAATAATPATPALNFAA TAATPATAATPALMFAATAA
TAATPATAAFNFAATAATPATAATPALIFAATAATAATAATAALIFATAA TAATPATAAFNFAATAATPA
TAATPALIFAATAATAATPATAALNFATAATAATPATAALNFATAATAAT PATPALNFAATAATPATAAT
PALMFAATAATAATPATAAFNFAATAATPATAATPALIFAATAATPATAA TPALIFATAATAATPAFNFA
ATAATPATAATPALIFAATAATAATPATAAFNFATAATAATPATAAFNFA ATAATPATAATPALMFAATA
ATPATAATPALIFAATAATAATPATAACNFAATAATPATAATPALIFAAT AATPATAATPALIFVATPAT
AATAATAATAATAATAATAARG
When processed and secreted the peptides encoded by this new gene
interfere with ice nucleation and thus flesh freezing so that the
notothenioids can live in Antarctic salt water approaching its' freezing
point of -1.9C.
Having commanded these manipulations, which she could have left to
chance, the goddess retired to her sella curulis for a much deserved
nap. Before falling asleep her last thought was that this was definitely
one for her resume. When she awoke she was not at all astounded to see
that a really fun adaptive radiation had occurred. As she had figured
(remember the omniscience?) the new antifreeze gene allowed these fishes
to live in the cold but nutrient rich waters of the Antarctic. Not only
did they live but they speciated - a lot. Yes their was a veritable
frenzy of speciation. All those empty niches. All that natural
selection. The goddess commanded the mutations but the pervasive forces
of Evolution did the rest. As she well knew would occur.
Next time one of y'all are sailing your wooden boat in the waters of the
Antarctic consider the story of the notothenioids and tremble in wonder
and awe. The more science reveals the more the wonderment.
>From the abstract:
"The notothenioid trypsinogen to AFGP conversion is the first clear
example of how an old protein gene spawned a new gene for an entirely
new protein with a new function. It also represents a rare instance in
which protein evolution, organismal adaptation, and environmental
conditions can be linked directly."
For the real story see
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/94/8/3811
and the references therein.
Here is some stuff about the fishes
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/dbms-eastman/ (http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/dbms-eastman/) morphological_diversity.ht
Best Wishes
Lynn
[ 02-14-2003, 08:26 PM: Message edited by: NormMessinger ]
He did offer me the following story which demonstrates the power of a little piece of DNA. Enjoy.
Subject: Re: The Bible According to Peter....
To: Norm Messinger <ngmessinger@cox.net>
Boy em I mad at you for sending me the creationist thread. I almost
posted a new topic. Fortunately I can't remember my password or what
email address I used. Whew.
Topic: Very Cool Story
My Dad screwed up and sent me the link to Ian Wrights' runaway thread.
There are enough potentially interested people that it made me want to
share without entering a tired old fray. Must be the ethanol. So here
goes.
It seems a muse spoke to some evolutionary Biologists thusly: "Go forth
and study the notothenioids" So they did. And it was good. This is some
of what they found out.
Once upon a time a long time ago (7-15 million years ago) their was a
pancreatic trypsinogen gene. This trypsinogen gene was in a fish that
lived near the Antarctic. This was not a good time to be a fish near the
Antarctic. Though food was plentiful the water was growing colder and
colder until it fell below the freezing temperature of fish flesh which
is -0.7 to -1.0C. Apparently freezing makes it hard to swim so the fish
weren't doing very well. A certain goddess, being omniscient, was aware
of the situation and resolved to tinker. She commanded the trypsinogen
gene to duplicate and then to suffer a series of mutations. The first
mutation formed a new gene consisting of trypsinogen's 5' untranslated
region, the first exon (thus providing the secretion signal), intron
one, part of exon two and exon six.
As I think I mentioned, the goddess is omniscient. She is also
omnipotent. Neither is she stupid. This was of paramount importance
because she understood that splicing up pieces of a trypsinogen gene
wouldn't do diddly for a cold fish. She also knew - having been a
co-author of the bacterial ice nucleation gene INA - something about how
water freezes. Armed with that knowledge she sallied forth and caused a
series of iterative mutations, a frame shift and added a strong dose of
natural selection (remember the food and cold water?). Wallah we have
sequence #2102688.
>gi|2102688|gb|AAB57731.1| AFGP polyprotein precursor
MKPLALLLLIGAAAVTAAPAATAATPATAATPALNYAATAATPATAATAA LIFAATAATPATAATAALIF
AATAATPATAATPALIFAATAATPATPALIFAATAATPATAATPATAAFN FAATAATPATAATAALIFAA
TAATAATPATPALNFAATAATAATAATPATAALNFATAATAATPATPALN FAATAATPATAATPALNFAA
TAATAATPATAALNFAATAATAATPATAAFNFAATAATPATAATPALIFA ATAATPATAATPALNFATAA
TAATPATPALNFAATAATAATAATPATAALNFATAATAATPATPALNFAA TAATPATAATPALMFAATAA
TAATPATAAFNFAATAATPATAATPALIFAATAATAATAATAALIFATAA TAATPATAAFNFAATAATPA
TAATPALIFAATAATAATPATAALNFATAATAATPATAALNFATAATAAT PATPALNFAATAATPATAAT
PALMFAATAATAATPATAAFNFAATAATPATAATPALIFAATAATPATAA TPALIFATAATAATPAFNFA
ATAATPATAATPALIFAATAATAATPATAAFNFATAATAATPATAAFNFA ATAATPATAATPALMFAATA
ATPATAATPALIFAATAATAATPATAACNFAATAATPATAATPALIFAAT AATPATAATPALIFVATPAT
AATAATAATAATAATAATAARG
When processed and secreted the peptides encoded by this new gene
interfere with ice nucleation and thus flesh freezing so that the
notothenioids can live in Antarctic salt water approaching its' freezing
point of -1.9C.
Having commanded these manipulations, which she could have left to
chance, the goddess retired to her sella curulis for a much deserved
nap. Before falling asleep her last thought was that this was definitely
one for her resume. When she awoke she was not at all astounded to see
that a really fun adaptive radiation had occurred. As she had figured
(remember the omniscience?) the new antifreeze gene allowed these fishes
to live in the cold but nutrient rich waters of the Antarctic. Not only
did they live but they speciated - a lot. Yes their was a veritable
frenzy of speciation. All those empty niches. All that natural
selection. The goddess commanded the mutations but the pervasive forces
of Evolution did the rest. As she well knew would occur.
Next time one of y'all are sailing your wooden boat in the waters of the
Antarctic consider the story of the notothenioids and tremble in wonder
and awe. The more science reveals the more the wonderment.
>From the abstract:
"The notothenioid trypsinogen to AFGP conversion is the first clear
example of how an old protein gene spawned a new gene for an entirely
new protein with a new function. It also represents a rare instance in
which protein evolution, organismal adaptation, and environmental
conditions can be linked directly."
For the real story see
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/94/8/3811
and the references therein.
Here is some stuff about the fishes
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/dbms-eastman/ (http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/dbms-eastman/) morphological_diversity.ht
Best Wishes
Lynn
[ 02-14-2003, 08:26 PM: Message edited by: NormMessinger ]