I know that genes control what proteins get synthesized by cells, but how does that determine the overall structure of an organism?
In: Biology
This is a bit of a complicated question, but I’ll give it a go.
In terms of the overall physical structure of an organism, there are certain proteins inside the cells such as actin and myosin that give structure to the cells themselves. These are known as the cytoskeleton. There are also a lot of proteins like collagen and elastin that sit in the space between cells, the extracellular matrix, which give structure to the tissues and organs. Membranes made of phospholipids help to separate different tissues. For specialised structural tissues like bones, additional chemicals like calcium phosphate are deposited in the extracellular matrix to make them harder and more rigid, whereas for skin, hair and nails the cells fill themselves with a protein called keratin to form a tough protective layer.
Proteins do a lot of different jobs within a cell while also being necessary for proper cell shape and rigidity. They help a cell do whatever a cell does. Different types of cells make different proteins. These different cells make up unique tissues (blood, brain, skin, stomach, etc.). These tissues develop alongside each other to form organs, and eventually, a mature organism.
It might be easier if you think about it like constructing a building. The genes are the blueprints for the building; without them how would you know what you’re building? And really, the chromosomes are the blueprints for the building. The specific segments of code, or genes are the instructions to build a faucet or a lightbulb or the drains, or the cabinets or even the nobs on the cabinets. Each segment of code is different, producing different styles of structures: think a faucet and its components… you have a choice between two handles or one to turn it on to get the temperature of water to come out of the faucet, no matter what the intended purpose of the water. It could wash the dishes, the laundry or even be used to water the garden and provide water to the thirsty, or wash the dirt off the dog who got muddy after playing with the unruly kids in the neighborhood. It’s not the genes job to tell you how to use the faucet, but how to design it to work. Sometimes things need replaced and we outgrow and outlive some older designs so to compensate, something called methalynation or epigenetic changes occur. Think of this as a contractor and his team renovating an old home, or even making changes to a new home after the owner realizes she didn’t like her choices after living there for a few days, but couldn’t bring herself to admit it immediately because she was very stuck in her ways… or like a deep rooted tree too close to the house, spreading its roots into the pipeline, after a seed was planted from a bird that took a shit too close to where the sidewalk was placed. The choice: move the sidewalk for the shitty tree or cut it the f down. These changes can completely change everything and its your choice who to hire to make these changes happen, either quickly or slowly, but realize, time is money! In the body, we can choose what foods we eat, what shows we watch, who we interact with, etc, and with a home its the same, who do you let in, who watches it when you’re gone, how careful are you with what you have, and do you even know how it works at all? Insurance is a wonderful tool (crispr, vaccines, medication, education). If you don’t learn about how to care for the home, how would you know it needs work? How do we make a building last forever? Ask the Mayans or the Egyptians… 😉🐶
So, great question!
Also, remember ladies and gentlemen… posture. You can’t have a strong home with a solid foundation with a frame that bows… stand up straight and shoulders back and the whole home feels warmer and stronger.
Now, if cats can have emojis in the people section… dogs should too… 🙀
Chemical signalling between the cells in the developing organism. When some cell starts differentiating into a certain type it lets the others know by releasing some chemicals. Cells are programmed to know what to do based on how strong the signal is and where is it coming from.
Fun fact! At a certain stage of human development, the general layout of the organs is decided based on how certain chemicals cycle in the embryo and this flow is created by cillia. But if there is a mutation in one of the cillial proteins and they don’t move properly, the layout is decided at random – which results in half of people with this mutation having so called situs inversus, i.e. mirror-flipped organs (heart on the right, liver on the left etc.).
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