Genetic transitions

Genetics. Transition of somatic plant cells to an embryogenic state. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 74 201-228. 

Short segments of poly(dG—dC) incorporated within plasmids, or citcular DNA, adopt the Z-conformation under negative superhehcal stress. This left-handed DNA may be important in genetic control. On the other hand, the stmctural alteration of the helix requited in a B-to-Z transition within a plasmid is radical, and would involve either a multistep mechanism or the complete melting and reformation of helix. The improbability of such transitions has led to questions concerning the feasibility of a biological role for Z-DNA. 

Chemical, or abiotic, transformations are an important fate of many pesticides. Such transformations are ubiquitous, occurring in either aqueous solution or sorbed to surfaces. Rates can vary dramatically depending on the reaction mechanism, chemical stmcture, and relative concentrations of such catalysts as protons, hydroxyl ions, transition metals, and clay particles. Chemical transformations can be genetically classified as hydrolytic, photolytic, or redox reactions (transfer of electrons). 

Elastin is a heavily crosslinked biopolymer that is formed in a process named elastogenesis. In this section, the role of elastin and the different steps of elastin production will be described, starting with transcription of the genetic code and processing of the primary transcript, followed by translation into the elastin precursor protein and its transport to the extracellular matrix. Finally, the crosslinking and fiber formation, which result in the transition from tropoelastin to elastin, are described. 

Yamaoka T, Tamura T, Seto Y et al (2003) Mechanism for the phase transition of a genetically engineered elastin model peptide (vpgig)(40) in aqueous solution. Biomacromolecules 4 1680-1685... 

Fig. 31. Effects of mispairing in genetic information transfer (Fig. 30). Top, transversion of an AT — CG via A G pair. Middle, transition AT — GC. Bottom, AT —> TA transversion. Adapted from Ref. (88).

Fig. 1.5 Schematic representation of the evolution of life from its precursors, on the basis of the definition of life given by the authors. If bioenergetic mechanisms have developed via autonomous systems, the thermodynamic basis for the beginning of the archiving of information, and thus for a one-polymer world such as the RNA world , has been set up. Several models for this transition have been discussed. This phase of development is possibly the starting point for the process of Darwinian evolution (with reproduction, variation and heredity), but still without any separation between genotype and phenotype. According to the authors definition, life begins in exactly that moment when the genetic code comes into play, i.e., in the transition from a one-polymer world to a two-polymer world . The last phase, open-ended evolution, then follows. After Ruiz-Mirazo et al. (2004)...

Thiopurine S-methyltransferase deficiency two nucleotide transitions define the most prevalent mutant allele associated with loss of catalytic activity in Caucasians. Am J Hum Genet 1996 58 694-702. 

With the suggestion that the last common genetic ancestor is a hyperthermophile, the role of temperature on the origins of life is important. The lower temperature limit in water is limited by the phase transition from liquid to ice. This is a problem because the density of ice is lower than that of water and the increase in volume on freezing will cause the cell structure to become disrupted in the same way that pipes burst in the winter. The lower limit for bacterial growth reported so far is -20°C, which is the temperature at which intracellular ice is formed. Adaptation to the cold requires a considerable salt content to depress the melting point of water the Don Juan Pond in Antarctica, which has a saturated CaCE solution, preserves the liquid phase at temperatures as low as —53°C. 

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