Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site bmcg.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!unc!mcnc!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!bmcg!dann From: dann@bmcg.UUCP Newsgroups: net.origins,net.religion Subject: RE: Time and the Amino Acid Motorcycle Message-ID: <1131@bmcg.UUCP> Date: Wed, 25-Jul-84 10:10:03 EDT Article-I.D.: bmcg.1131 Posted: Wed Jul 25 10:10:03 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 20:14:45 EDT Organization: Burroughs Corporation, San Diego Lines: 38 Regarding the discussion between Lyle McElhaney & Bob Brown: If I remember my Scientific American articles in the area of biochemistry, Lyle's argument about H2O does not apply here. There are something like 20 different amino acids. Each of them has a pair of chemical bonding areas, one on each side of the molecule, which are identical from amino acid to amino acid. Thus, the amino acids may be strung together like beads with no particular preference as to the order of stringing. In a soup of amino acids, with nothing guiding the assembly order, one sequence is as good as another and any results are purely random. Within a living cell, how- ever, the order of protein assembly from amino acids is carefully directed by DNA and RNA templates. There is one added complication. Many proteins are "folded" in complex fashions. Portions of the amino acid chains overlap and are fastened together with weaker side bonds, which do not use the two main connecting points on the molecule. Within a living cell, this folding and fastening is done by other complex proteins (called enzymes) which act as catalysts. So, even if you accidently get the right sequence of amino acids to form a particular protein, you still have to fold and attach the side bonds. I think insu- lin has only one side attachment. Scientific American has published a book containing a col- lection of articles describing this stuff. Really thought- provoking, I highly recommend it to anyone interested. By the way, insulin is really trivial by comparison to many other vital proteins. Take a look at the structure of hemo- globin sometime if you want to see a real work of art! Dann McCreary Burroughs Advanced Systems Group {sdcsvax || ihnp4!sdcrdcf || cepu }!bmcg!dann