DNA computer simulation

[nickyhansard]

I was just wondering if we had a powerful enough computer would it be possible to simulate the growth of a person using an individuals DNA?

[EdEarl]

Among other things, not enough computer power and not enough knowledge of cell physiology.

[nickyhansard]

Among other things, not enough computer power and not enough knowledge of cell physiology.

What if we had a powerful enough computer, what exactly is holding us back in regards to cell physiology. I thought cell physiology was governed by the DNA, theoretically as long as the computer could interpret the DNA wouldn't the cells automatically be correct?

 

I'm not certain about this but don't we have computers that can actually simulate bodies of water on the molecular level? That must require an immensely powerful computer.

 

Don't take my comments as arguments that you're wrong. I have little knowledge on the subject. Just find it interesting.

[CharonY]

We do not know sufficiently about how the biomolecules interact to create to create certain phenotypes. The DNA is really only a tiny part of the whole thing In order to calculate simulations, we first have to know how to build a mathematical model to do so. Our knowledge has far too many gaps to simulate but the simplest reactions and interactions.

[nickyhansard]

We do not know sufficiently about how the biomolecules interact to create to create certain phenotypes. The DNA is really only a tiny part of the whole thing In order to calculate simulations, we first have to know how to build a mathematical model to do so. Our knowledge has far too many gaps to simulate but the simplest reactions and interactions.

Thanks, that clears it up a bit. So technically there is no inherent obstacle and theoretically once our knowledge is great enough we could simulate the development of a person, which we could than experiment with by manipulating certain coding e.g. Inserting genes that give us the ability to breath water and using the model as a problem diagnostic or creating an exact model of what a person should have developed into minus environmental influences (like over exposure to sunlight, inadequate nutrition during development etc etc.)

 

Or do I have it wrong?

Edited November 23, 2013 by nickyhansard

[EdEarl]

IMO computers are a long way from being capable of doing such a simulation. When they are 100-1000 times the size of a cell, including power supply, memory, and network connections they will be powerful enough.

[CharonY]

Depends on how theoretically you want to be, The thing is that it is rare that a single gene controls a given phenotype. The latter is the result of thousands of proteins and metabolites interacting with each other (and the environment). Of course if we knew everything we may be able to create models. At this point it is pure science fiction, however.

Also only at that point do we really know how much computational power we really need. Whether we will ever achieve this information is one of the big questions in biology,

[nickyhansard]

Depends on how theoretically you want to be, The thing is that it is rare that a single gene controls a given phenotype. The latter is the result of thousands of proteins and metabolites interacting with each other (and the environment). Of course if we knew everything we may be able to create models. At this point it is pure science fiction, however.

Also only at that point do we really know how much computational power we really need. Whether we will ever achieve this information is one of the big questions in biology,

Thanks for the awnser.

 

I have some more general questions about DNA, I know this information is on google but honestly I find some explanations not detailed enough and/or confusing. Anyway I appreciate any corrections/awnsers.

 

Each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosones. Are these pairs of chromosones physically attached to each other. I always see a chromosomes pictured as an X but I wasn't certain if this was actually a pair of chromosomes or simply how each of the 46 chromosomes looks?

 

I know most of our DNA is exactly the same between humans but is this spread between the chromosomes or are the differences isolated to a single pair/s?

 

I've got plenty more questions I would like to know if anybody could humour me.

[CharonY]

The X that you see are two identical chromatids that are still attached to each other. The chromatids are separated during cell division and then are resynthesized during the S-phase of the cell cycle. A pair of chromosomes would either be two separate chromatids or two "X" (after DNA duplication). And no they are generally not neatly condensed nor lined up nicely. This is only the case shortly before cell divisoin. Most of the time (i.e. when the cell is doing things other than preparing for replicating) the nucleus looks a bit like a mess.

 

The differences are within specific areas on the chromosomes, or "loci". I.e. at a given base position with the DNA some may have A whereas others a G for example. This is what is generally called a single nucleotide polymorphism or SNP.

[nickyhansard]

Thanks for the reply. Helped clarify things. It was a tad confusing mainly because people would picture a chromosome as an X but than sometimes it would be an I. Now I know it's a single chromosome and it only becomes an X during replication and pairs of chromosomes aren't lined up nicely like in diagrams of the cell nucleus (except for during replication). Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I have another question if you don't mind. I do appreciate it.

 

So you have these chromosomes floating around in a certain type of cell e.g. A heart cell. How does the heart cell know that it is a heart cell and which parts of the DNA to activate?

 

I always hear that different cells activate different parts of the DNA to produce the required proteins that cell is responsible for but nobody explains how the cell does this.

Edited November 25, 2013 by nickyhansard

[CharonY]

The regulation of DNA expression is done to a large extend by proteins, often in conjunction with other metabolites that may act as signal molecules. Cells that are not differentiated yet experience whatever signal is around and together with whatever is already in the cell eventually programs might be initiated that result in cell differentiation (to oversimplify things quite a bit).

 

Already differentiated cells have a different composition of biomolecules and these will control what part of the DNA is being transcribed.

 

 

 

I always hear that different cells activate different parts of the DNA to produce the required proteins that cell is responsible for but nobody explains how the cell does this.

 

 

This is actually quite well known and falls under the broader context of gene regulation. I take you mean that nobody specifically explained it to you? There is quite a bit of detail about how this happens and one common text book example of gene regulation via a metabolite is the lac operon (I am certain that wiki has it, too). There are many, many, many more examples and together they are a part of the reason why different cells express different proteins.