DNA as a Double-Coding Device for Information Conversion and Organization of a Self-Referential Unity
Living systems are capable on the one hand of eliciting a coordinated response to changing environments (also known as adaptation), and on the other hand, they are capable of reproducing themselves. Notably, adaptation to environmental change requires the monitoring of the surroundings, while reprod...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-11-01
|
| Series: | DNA |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8856/4/4/32 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850241724758097920 |
|---|---|
| author | Georgi Muskhelishvili William Nasser Sylvie Reverchon Andrew Travers |
| author_facet | Georgi Muskhelishvili William Nasser Sylvie Reverchon Andrew Travers |
| author_sort | Georgi Muskhelishvili |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Living systems are capable on the one hand of eliciting a coordinated response to changing environments (also known as adaptation), and on the other hand, they are capable of reproducing themselves. Notably, adaptation to environmental change requires the monitoring of the surroundings, while reproduction requires monitoring oneself. These two tasks appear separate and make use of different sources of information. Yet, both the process of adaptation as well as that of reproduction are inextricably coupled to alterations in genomic DNA expression, while a cell behaves as an indivisible unity in which apparently independent processes and mechanisms are both integrated and coordinated. We argue that at the most basic level, this integration is enabled by the unique property of the DNA to act as a double coding device harboring two logically distinct types of information. We review biological systems of different complexities and infer that the inter-conversion of these two distinct types of DNA information represents a fundamental self-referential device underlying both systemic integration and coordinated adaptive responses. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a8ff86ae65f1454a9bfce6937f3afe08 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-8856 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | DNA |
| spelling | doaj-art-a8ff86ae65f1454a9bfce6937f3afe082025-08-20T02:00:32ZengMDPI AGDNA2673-88562024-11-014447349310.3390/dna4040032DNA as a Double-Coding Device for Information Conversion and Organization of a Self-Referential UnityGeorgi Muskhelishvili0William Nasser1Sylvie Reverchon2Andrew Travers3School of Natural Sciences and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Georgia, 0159 Tbilisi, GeorgiaINSA-Lyon, CNRS, UMR5240, Microbiologie, Adaptation, Pathogénie, Université Lyon 1, F-69622 Villeurbanne, FranceINSA-Lyon, CNRS, UMR5240, Microbiologie, Adaptation, Pathogénie, Université Lyon 1, F-69622 Villeurbanne, FranceMRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UKLiving systems are capable on the one hand of eliciting a coordinated response to changing environments (also known as adaptation), and on the other hand, they are capable of reproducing themselves. Notably, adaptation to environmental change requires the monitoring of the surroundings, while reproduction requires monitoring oneself. These two tasks appear separate and make use of different sources of information. Yet, both the process of adaptation as well as that of reproduction are inextricably coupled to alterations in genomic DNA expression, while a cell behaves as an indivisible unity in which apparently independent processes and mechanisms are both integrated and coordinated. We argue that at the most basic level, this integration is enabled by the unique property of the DNA to act as a double coding device harboring two logically distinct types of information. We review biological systems of different complexities and infer that the inter-conversion of these two distinct types of DNA information represents a fundamental self-referential device underlying both systemic integration and coordinated adaptive responses.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8856/4/4/32self-referential systemDNA informationsupercoilinggradientsnucleoprotein complexesinter-conversion of logically distinct information types |
| spellingShingle | Georgi Muskhelishvili William Nasser Sylvie Reverchon Andrew Travers DNA as a Double-Coding Device for Information Conversion and Organization of a Self-Referential Unity DNA self-referential system DNA information supercoiling gradients nucleoprotein complexes inter-conversion of logically distinct information types |
| title | DNA as a Double-Coding Device for Information Conversion and Organization of a Self-Referential Unity |
| title_full | DNA as a Double-Coding Device for Information Conversion and Organization of a Self-Referential Unity |
| title_fullStr | DNA as a Double-Coding Device for Information Conversion and Organization of a Self-Referential Unity |
| title_full_unstemmed | DNA as a Double-Coding Device for Information Conversion and Organization of a Self-Referential Unity |
| title_short | DNA as a Double-Coding Device for Information Conversion and Organization of a Self-Referential Unity |
| title_sort | dna as a double coding device for information conversion and organization of a self referential unity |
| topic | self-referential system DNA information supercoiling gradients nucleoprotein complexes inter-conversion of logically distinct information types |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8856/4/4/32 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT georgimuskhelishvili dnaasadoublecodingdeviceforinformationconversionandorganizationofaselfreferentialunity AT williamnasser dnaasadoublecodingdeviceforinformationconversionandorganizationofaselfreferentialunity AT sylviereverchon dnaasadoublecodingdeviceforinformationconversionandorganizationofaselfreferentialunity AT andrewtravers dnaasadoublecodingdeviceforinformationconversionandorganizationofaselfreferentialunity |