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CRITICAL FUNCTION. "Inflammasomes play a central role in maintaining the sanctity of the cytosol." https://lnkd.in/edtaHiu View in LinkedIn

TEXTUS INTERRUPTUS. "Introns are interruptions in the text of eukaryotic genes. Every time the genome is replicated, they are replicated right along with it. For Richard Dawkins, introns are an example of pure "selfish DNA," out for its own survival only." https://lnkd.in/e8u5vxc View in LinkedIn

PRICE OF COMPLEXITY. "Introns are rare within prokaryotic cells. They are rare within the nuclear genomes of single-celled eukaryotes. However, within the cells of multicelled animals and plants almost every gene has introns." https://lnkd.in/e8u5vxc View in LinkedIn

INTRONS. "These are sequences of DNA, within genes, which have no apparent purpose. You could think of introns as long commercials, in a language you don't understand, interrupting your favorite television show right in the middle of the action." https://lnkd.in/e8u5vxc View in LinkedIn

TRANSPOSON CUT-AND-PASTE. "Not only can some TEs copy their own genomes — they can also copy and paste parts or wholes of adjacent human genes. And they can relocate or paste in the DNA where they want, including in the middle of other genes. TEs have played enormously important roles in shaping our evolution and some of these TEs are continuing to do that today." https://lnkd.in/eVPv65H View in LinkedIn

JUMPING GENES. “A transposable element (TE or transposon) is a DNA sequence that can change its position within the genome, sometimes creating or reversing mutations and altering the cell’s genome size." (TEs = jumping genes) https://lnkd.in/eVPv65H View in LinkedIn

ANCIENT MACHINERY. "Most of the DNA in our human genome is composed of largely but not completely, inactive copies of three distinct classes of transposable element, sequences of DNA that have accumulated over millions of years and keep replicating." https://lnkd.in/eVPv65H View in LinkedIn

"INTRONS are non-coding sections of a gene, transcribed into the precursor mRNA sequence, but ultimately removed by RNA splicing during the processing to mature messenger RNA. Many introns appear to be mobile genetic elements." https://lnkd.in/en2PVZm View in LinkedIn

"MOBILE GENETIC ELEMENTS (MGE) are a type of DNA that can move around within the genome. They include: Transposons (also called transposable elements); Retrotransposons; DNA transposons; Insertion sequences; Plasmids. The total of all mobile genetic elements in a genome may be referred to as the mobilome. Barbara McClintock was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for her discovery of mobile genetic elements"." https://lnkd.in/eBfMrTY View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this weekend's excision into the inflammasome, to be continued next weekend. The structural similarity to the apoptosome is remarkable, as well as their central role in maintaining cell health. Evolution twice independently invented similar molecular machinery to service these critical roles. View in LinkedIn