Cell lineages of nematodes are completely known: the adult male of Caenorhabditis elegans contains 1031 somatic cells, the hermaphrodite 959, not one more, not one less;cell divisions are strictly deterministic (as in...Cell lineages of nematodes are completely known: the adult male of Caenorhabditis elegans contains 1031 somatic cells, the hermaphrodite 959, not one more, not one less;cell divisions are strictly deterministic (as in the great majority of invertebrates) but so far nothing is known about the mechanism used by cells to count precise numbers of divisions. In vertebrates, each species has its invariable deterministic numbers of somites, vertebrae, fingers, and teeth: counting the number of iterations is a widespread process in living beings;nonetheless, it remains an unanswered question and a great challenge in cell biology. This paper introduces a computational model to investigate the possible role of satellite DNA in counting cell divisions, showing how cells may operate under Boolean logic algebra. Satellite DNA, made up of repeated monomers and subject to high epigenetic methylation rates, is very similar to iterable sequences used in programming: just like in the “iteration protocol” of algorithms, the epigenetic machinery may run over linear tandem repeats (that hold cell-fate data), read and orderly mark one monomer per cell-cycle (cytosine methylation), keep track and transmit marks to descendant cells, sending information to cell-cycle regulators.展开更多
The origin of complex biological symmetric structures has long been a subject of interest and debate. How new sophisticated structures arise, perfectly meshed together, and added to preexisting organs without breaking...The origin of complex biological symmetric structures has long been a subject of interest and debate. How new sophisticated structures arise, perfectly meshed together, and added to preexisting organs without breaking their anatomy and physiology remains challenging. A mystery is how endless amounts of new bilaterally symmetric organs have arisen in an infinite number of species: bilateral symmetry requires two different pathways for arranging and driving cells in symmetric locations in the left and right halves of the organism. It is unsustainable that two different genetic codes, independent of each other and assembled by chance, have simultaneously arisen for every organ in millions of different species. Many findings have evidenced that DNA tandem repeats and centrosomes are involved in morphogenesis, suggesting they have played a role in the evolution of shapes. This paper introduces computational simulations to test and ascertain whether DNA tandem repeats and centrosomes can manage and accelerate the evolution of complex organs and bilaterally symmetric structures. The present study follows an interdisciplinary perspective that combines biology and computational modeling to understand cellular behavior across species, underlying the similarity between programming and cellular procedures. The integration of programming codes, tandem repeats, centrioles, and centrosomes provides a potential framework for investigating fundamental biological processes.展开更多
文摘Cell lineages of nematodes are completely known: the adult male of Caenorhabditis elegans contains 1031 somatic cells, the hermaphrodite 959, not one more, not one less;cell divisions are strictly deterministic (as in the great majority of invertebrates) but so far nothing is known about the mechanism used by cells to count precise numbers of divisions. In vertebrates, each species has its invariable deterministic numbers of somites, vertebrae, fingers, and teeth: counting the number of iterations is a widespread process in living beings;nonetheless, it remains an unanswered question and a great challenge in cell biology. This paper introduces a computational model to investigate the possible role of satellite DNA in counting cell divisions, showing how cells may operate under Boolean logic algebra. Satellite DNA, made up of repeated monomers and subject to high epigenetic methylation rates, is very similar to iterable sequences used in programming: just like in the “iteration protocol” of algorithms, the epigenetic machinery may run over linear tandem repeats (that hold cell-fate data), read and orderly mark one monomer per cell-cycle (cytosine methylation), keep track and transmit marks to descendant cells, sending information to cell-cycle regulators.
文摘The origin of complex biological symmetric structures has long been a subject of interest and debate. How new sophisticated structures arise, perfectly meshed together, and added to preexisting organs without breaking their anatomy and physiology remains challenging. A mystery is how endless amounts of new bilaterally symmetric organs have arisen in an infinite number of species: bilateral symmetry requires two different pathways for arranging and driving cells in symmetric locations in the left and right halves of the organism. It is unsustainable that two different genetic codes, independent of each other and assembled by chance, have simultaneously arisen for every organ in millions of different species. Many findings have evidenced that DNA tandem repeats and centrosomes are involved in morphogenesis, suggesting they have played a role in the evolution of shapes. This paper introduces computational simulations to test and ascertain whether DNA tandem repeats and centrosomes can manage and accelerate the evolution of complex organs and bilaterally symmetric structures. The present study follows an interdisciplinary perspective that combines biology and computational modeling to understand cellular behavior across species, underlying the similarity between programming and cellular procedures. The integration of programming codes, tandem repeats, centrioles, and centrosomes provides a potential framework for investigating fundamental biological processes.
