Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames Fan, Ph.D.
I don't know about the evolutionary consequences.
However, from a catalysis / biological structure-function perspective I find this extremely interesting. Multiple enzymes in our body act based on recognition of phosphorous-based structures. This discovery suggests that these bacteria could have analogous mechanisms which function through discretely different routes.
What would be even more interesting is whether the substitution of arsenic actually allows these organisms to use mechanisms that are not analogous to what the rest of us phosphorous-loving organisms use.
In English, I think this is similar to finding an engine in some barn that generates horsepower like the engines we know*, but uses a completely different fuel. When you dissect that engine, you'll either find that:
1) the tools you're using today can be easily modified in ways you didn't think possible so that you can use another brand new type of fuel.
2) the inside of the engine shows you ingenious variations on the combustion mechanism we all know and love.
Both possibilities are exciting, imo.
* i'm not making a john galt reference. stupid book. stupid, unbelievably strained premise to make an invalid point. rant off.
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I'm completely with you on this one. I'm really interested in finding out if standard processes like phosphorylation of saccharides are undergoing analogous arsenylation pathways. . . or maybe something completely different.
I don't know about this being Nobel prize material but it is an interesting discovery nonetheless.