Sunday, March 20, 2011
Similiar Genes
In chapter seven it is mentioned that sponges have many important properties of bodies. Furthermore, Choanoflagellates, which look like the goblet-shaped cells inside a sponge, have genes that are active in both animals and single-celled microbes. How do Choanoflagellates give us a road map for comparing our bodybuilding apparatus to that of other microbes? List and explain specific properties that both have in common. What do these similiarities tell us about the history of these microbes?
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What makes choanoflagellates so interesting and important to us is that “these obscure organisms are among the closest living single-celled relatives of animals” (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/science/14creatures.html?_r=1). They are probably the closest relative to our ancient ancestor unicellular species that lived in the Ediacaran Period that gave rise to species that turned into choanoflagellates and animals (Campbell 515). Nicole King’s research has been crucial to evolutionary biologists because these organisms she began to study are the best specimens we are now aware of that bridge the gap between unicellular and multicellular organisms, since “most of the genes that are active in choanoflagellates are also active in animals” (Shubin 133) which include “78 pieces of proteins, many of which in animals are involved in making cells adhere to one another” (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/science/14creatures.html?_r=1). This fact made her research a rare and valuable find!
ReplyDeleteIn answer to Erik’s question, studying choanoflagellates similarities to our own bodies or other multicellular creatures gives us insight unto the evolution of bodybuilding. For example simple logic leads to the conclusion that because this unicellular organisms are so similar in many ways to multicellular organisms, “whatever animals have but choanoflagellates lack probably arose during animal evolution” (NY Times article). Additionally, and more excitingly, choanoflagellates possess many of the molecules that make cell adhesion possible in multicellular animals. Scientists found this very puzzling, but our now considering a new idea that “rather than evolving new genes, animal ancestors simply used what they had to become multicellular” (NY Times article); this was a hypothesis never considered before King’s research and can/will be applied to evolution studies well beyond that of choanoflagellate research.
(Jackie Edelson; jedelson92@gmail.com)
Animals depend on tyrosine phosphorylation to do a number of important communications between their cells, including immune system responses and hormone system stimulation. These phospho-tyrosine signaling pathways utilize a three part system to make these communications possible. Tyrosine kinases can "write messages", "erase modifications", and "read modifications" so the recipient cell receives the messege. The importantance of (TyrK) to choanoflagellates is that they were found to contain these molecules on small levels, but never did the (TyrK) have all 3 functions. This is still important because it shows the path evolution took from single celled to multicellular organisms. The presence of the full three component signaling system plays an important role in complex communication between cells that evolved from the simple one function choanoflagellate systems. "It shows how evolution might work," says Wendell Lim. "Probably there was an ancestor to these organisms that first developed these chemicals."(Univeristy of California, San Francisco)
ReplyDeleteGoing a little off topic from the question, this research is unique because by studying these evolved functions of cell communication(TyrK), we can develop new insights into how to treat and corect abnormal cells in cancer patients and other disorders.
Eryk Fundakowski- arthur2446@comcast.net
http://www.febsjournal.org/vi_240.asp
http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/donald.slish/tyrosinekinase/TK1.html