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-Can science create a computer model of a living cell. After all computer games are looking more and more like reality. Modeling a single cell would not be that hard?
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-. If such a program existed many experiments in biological research, drug development, bioengineering, etc., can be done on a computer without experimenting with the real thing. We would save the lives of many mice and monkeys. It should make the process faster and cheaper.
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-. While it might make sense to start with the simplest cell, not the human cell. So a good candidate would be an individual germ. A single cell of bacterium
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-------------------------------- Mycoplasma Genitalium
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-. Before you even get into the bacterium cell let's first learn more about cells in general.
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-. The nanotechnology of physics in the DNA of biology are finally starting to merge. Atomic theory is beginning to be applied to cell theory.
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-. The typical plant or animal cell is between 5,000 and 40,000 nanometers. Human eye can maybe see the 100,000 nanometers. So cells are beyond our vision.
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-. Similar to the nucleus of the atom the cell has a nucleus. Inside the nucleus is a chromosome, inside the chromosome is DNA and its double helix.
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-. The egg and sperm cell each have half the number of chromosomes. When the two cells combine they form a complete set of chromosomes. The chromosomes look like a tangled mess of spaghetti with 23 pairs of chromosomes. Chromosomes are X-shaped because they are dividing. Females have XX chromosomes , males have XY chromosomes.
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-. From the fertilized egg cells divide and re-divide and differentiate into liver cells, skin cells, nerve cells, muscle cells, kidney cells, etc. This is so amazing beyond comprehension.
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-. Each chromosome is a collection of genes. A single chromosome can contain 20,000 to 90,000 genes. Each chromosome is a structure of DNA found in cells. The structure also contains RNA and proteins. The DNA molecule can contain up to 3,750,000,000 nucleotides in a long chain.
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-------------------------. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes,
------------------------- -32,185 genes , 3,079,843,747 base pairs.
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---------------------. Wheat bread has 42 chromosomes
---------------------. Earthworms have 36 chromosomes
---------------------. Elephants have 56 chromosomes
---------------------. Dogs have 78 chromosomes
---------------------. Humans have 46 chromosomes, 23 pairs.
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- So you can see that the number of chromosomes , or genes, does not necessarily mean greater complex life.
-.------------------ DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid
-------------------- RNA is ribonucleic acid
-The Mycoplasma Genitalium bacteria undergoing the computer simulation has 525 genes compared to human cell that has 32,185 genes, The human cell is 60 times more complex to model.
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-. Once the software model is complete every experiment that can be conducted in the laboratory can first be conducted on the computer. Programmers express a cells processes as equations. To verify the math the experiments must agree accurately with the computer simulations.
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- Genes exert their effects using enzymes. Enzymes determine the color of your eyes , the color of your hair and skin. The absence of a single enzyme can cause a child to be an albino.
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- Nuclear acids are universal materials found in all living cells. If DNA is a key to heredity it must have a complex structure a genetic code
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---------------------- A equals Adenine , A connects to T
----------------------- G equals Guanine, G connects to C
----------------------- T equals Thymine
----------------------- C equals Cytosine
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-. The chromosome is a string of DNA molecules in the form of a double helix. The two chains unwind themselves from each other. Each chain is half a molecule which becomes the template for putting units together in the proper order. In this way it can rebuild a complete double helix DNA molecule. Carried out by all the DNA down the length of the chromosome will create two chromosomes that are exactly like.
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-. The equations in the simulations had to represent the flow of energy, nutrients, and reaction products throughout the cell. This is called “metabolism“. Equations had to represent the synthesis and decay of DNA, RNA, and proteins.
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-. Once functions of the cell are defined they had to be integrated into a single system. Once all this was put together a contain over 1,700 variables. To be biologically accurate the correct numbers had to be assigned to each variable.
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-. A typical cell of this bacterium divides every 10 hours, ranging from 6 hours to 15 hours. These limits of doubling every critical variable help to put proper limits on the values of the variables.
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-. To divide the problem the whole cell model was spit into 28 distinct models. Then, the life of the modules were stepped in one second intervals. Every run of this simulator over the life of a single cell produced 500 megabytes of data.
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-. All of these simulations, source code, knowledge base, visualization code and experimental data are available online modeling the single bacterium in a software program. Anyone can access it to do their own computer simulations.
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-.--------- Modeling a single bacterium , Mycoplasma Genitalium , is the first step.
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-. Human cell is 60 times as many genes packed into sets of chromosomes. Before we get to human cells a next step is to model a most complex bacteria like
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------------------------- E. coli.
-------------------------. Then a yeast cell.
------------------------. Then I macrophage, and immune cell from a mouse.
------------------------. Then a human cell, starting with a macrophage immune cell.
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-. Then why stop with a single cell. Why not develop a computer simulator for the entire brain. Soon a computer will simulate life on the screen. The announcement will be made shortly stay tuned.
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RSVP, with comments, suggestions, corrections. Index of reviews available ---
--- Some reviews are at: -------------------- http://jdetrick.blogspot.com -----
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---- www.twitter.com , --- 707-536-3272 ---- Friday, March 21, 2014 ---
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