Jun 16 2009
The Building Blocks of Life
It seems to me that proteins could be called the building blocks of life. Maybe you could say they are the cellular equivalent of Legos.
A good example of protein structure determining its role in human physiology can be found in the findings of this recent neurological research.
A team of neuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has demonstrated the mechanism by which a signaling protein found throughout the brain controls the maturation and strength of excitatory synapses, the tiny gaps across which the majority of neurons communicate.
How do those Legos in the brain do their work? The protein studied is a member of a family of proteins that “affect many aspects of neuronal development.” (I wonder, are members of the family related by similarity of structure or of function?)
How do the proteins “affect many aspects of neuronal development”? With a “filament-like scaffolding” they provide a structure for cell contents.
The researchers hypothesize that mis-formed variants of the proteins they studied become non-functional and contribute to the cognitive impairments seen in mental retardation. What causes the misformed variants? Mutations in genes that encode them.
Going “all philosophical here,” and returning to the theme of Legos, the structure and function of cells provides for life. Of course, no single protein “has life.” But given suitable numbers and a pattern of ongoing interactions (chemical) . . . there is life. Well, what we call life.
There is no life in one molecule, in one Lego. But it emerges. Certainly not all at once, like magic. But it emerges.
Of course, a protein and a Lgeo are quite different, so the analogy isn’t perfect. A better analogy might equate proteins with something like tiny, coiled springs. They dynamic forms and motions of life then emerging from spring-like units is probably easier to envision. But the questions of what we identify as life and the how of its emergence remain fascinating ones.
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Lego art by Nathan Sawaya
[...] can turn little Lego building blocks into such artistic expressions! Bernardin’s post at The Building Blocks of Life compares signaling proteins found in the brain to Legos. (As someone who uses Tangle Toys to teach [...]