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.religion
Subject: RE: Time and the Amino Acid Motorcycle
Message-ID: <1132@bmcg.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 25-Jul-84 10:12:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: bmcg.1132
Posted: Wed Jul 25 10:12:25 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 20:15:09 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