3 ms·
Probably has some sort of MAC address identifier that can detect whether something if different than the host DNA, but I have no idea nor experience in biology.
by aphextim 7y ago
Probably has some sort of MAC address identifier that can detect whether something if different than the host DNA, but I have no idea nor experience in biology.
- xwdv 7y agoI’d say it’s probably more like some kind of checksum against the DNA. If the body detects something has been changed from what was there before it dispatches the white blood cells to kill it off. Immunosuppressants are a way to bypass the checksum, but only for some limited time. Maybe we need a way to change the checksum values altogether, but then the whole body could be rendered rejected and cease to function (death).
- petschge 7y agoThis is actually an issue in graft-vs-host rejection for bone marrow transplants.
- aphextim 7y agoI love tech analogies to biological functions. It amazes me how much 'tech' is always running on a cellular/molecular level. Thank you!
- SamBam 7y agoWe always reach for the analogies that match our experience most closely. If this were 200 years ago, we'd say that the immune system was like a lock-and-key mechanism, or perhaps we'd say it was like a bank checking for correct signatures. Indeed, I remember a kid's cartoon about our bodies when I was growing up that showed germs that had evolved the correct antigens as being spies passing through passport control with forged passports.
- magicalhippo 7y agoIndeed. I had read about it before but viewing these visualizations blew my mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMtWvDbfHLo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMtWvDbfHLo (DNA transcription) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfYf_rPWUdY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfYf_rPWUdY (mRNA translation) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9ArIJWYZHI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9ArIJWYZHI (DNA replication)