3 ms·

Yes, sure, we're all playing with amino acids in order to create proteins that can then synthesize complex things. This doesn't mean that it's easy to create th

by SamBam 3y ago

Yes, sure, we're all playing with amino acids in order to create proteins that can then synthesize complex things. This doesn't mean that it's easy to create the pathways that create these complex things. The synthesis of opium, for instance, requires two specialized cell types, complex organelles, and hundreds of different proteins, all told requiring thousands of different genes [1]. This is all for the purpose of creating one single highly-complex molecule. This isn't something you get at easily by "playing with the same Lego blocks." The question is, if it's not a coincidence that both poppies and a small subset of animals both go through all this work to create two versions of this extremely-specific molecule, then what's the reason? Sure, in the end the reason will be "it's advantageous for both species," but it's still pretty mind-blowing, and I think we're still missing a bunch of steps. 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3877807/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3877807/

timschmidt 3y ago
Perhaps plants and animals are not so far removed from each other as you think. At the cellular level they are far more similar to each other than to any bacterium. And as to why they manufacture similar molecules, i would suspect reason #1 to be that they derive similar utility. Plants and animals both perform chemical signalling between cells. Both use ion channels. Similarities go on and on. And when we're talking about molecules with only a few dozen constituent atoms, there really is a very finite set of possible combinations which are not toxic and structurally suited to perform some task in the biochemical mechanistic computational environment of the cell. Also, this is not a refutation of your point, just interesting, but complete opioid synthesis has been engineered into yeast by at least two different teams at his point: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924617/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924617/

by SamBam 3y ago

timschmidt 3y ago

Perhaps plants and animals are not so far removed from each other as you think. At the cellular level they are far more similar to each other than to any bacterium. And as to why they manufacture similar molecules, i would suspect reason #1 to be that they derive similar utility. Plants and animals both perform chemical signalling between cells. Both use ion channels. Similarities go on and on. And when we're talking about molecules with only a few dozen constituent atoms, there really is a very finite set of possible combinations which are not toxic and structurally suited to perform some task in the biochemical mechanistic computational environment of the cell. Also, this is not a refutation of your point, just interesting, but complete opioid synthesis has been engineered into yeast by at least two different teams at his point: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924617/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924617/