DNA as a Double-Coding Device for Information Conversion and Organization of a Self-Referential Unity
Résumé
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.
Mots clés
A. DNA as a Double-Coding Device for Information Conversion and Organization of a Self-Referential self-referential system DNA information supercoiling gradients nucleoprotein complexes inter-conversion of logically distinct information types
DNA information
supercoiling
nucleoprotein complexes
inter-conversion of logically distinct information types
Domaines
Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]Origine | Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte |
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