Quote:
Originally Posted by Enchilada
More interesting is RNA / DNA can even 'evolve' during the organism's lifetime, and could be passed on to the next generation.
|
If my distant memories of my molecular biology and gentics lectures serves me (it was a very long time ago
) you can expect numerous mutations to occur in a very short period of time but these are mostly reversed by the SOS mechanism in cells. Remember much of the genetic material is non coding so it would have to occur in an active region which is why the idea of interupting gene expression/regulation is very interesting. I think the main effect of mutated RNA would simply mean defective construction of protien chains which would be recognised as rubbish and be promptly broken down. At worst it would mean an inability to perform some function, at best the ability to perform a new fuction depending on the nature of the resulting protien chain. If the mutation of DNA was isolated to a few cells then it would have little effect excepting cancer or HIV etc. Outside of this I do not think mutation would be a major factor of evolution in an organisms life time as many cells would need to be affected by change (hmmmm strains of Dr jeckyl and Mr hyde or the hulk
). What really counts is when the altered DNA is past onto the next generation (remember that in sexually reproducing organisms there is a process of mixing genes at the time the gamets are formed) where the mutation is evident in all cells thus the trait is inherited by the offspring. Hmm I think I will have to dig out the old text books and files again, its been far to long but I do love this stuff
.
Mark