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i always wondered how differentiated cells can have completely identical DNA and still know which proteins to fold based on their specialized function. differen
by leeoniya 9y ago
i always wondered how differentiated cells can have completely identical DNA and still know which proteins to fold based on their specialized function. different types of cells even look very different!
- marcosdumay 9y agoOk, but this article does not explain that.
- charlieflowers 9y agoI'm no expert but I have heard this explained. You can explain it without needing cells to have different DNA. Differentiated cells express different genes from the same genome.
- khedoros1 9y agoI think that a one-word answer would be "epigenetics". Sections of genes are turned on and off by various chemical processes, so that the genes that are actively transcribed into proteins can change without the underlying DNA changing. There was a brief mention of it at the bottom of the article.
- roywiggins 9y agoDifferentiation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_differentiation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_differentiation
- matt4077 9y agoEpigenetics, as has been pointed out. But also just the very basic mechanisms of hormones and other signalling and regulating molecules. DNA is just the code. Cells also keep 'state', mostly through the specific molecules in the cytosol.