Between the cross and the sword: the crisis of the gene concept
Autor(a) principal: | |
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Data de Publicação: | 2007 |
Tipo de documento: | Artigo |
Idioma: | eng |
Título da fonte: | Genetics and Molecular Biology |
Texto Completo: | http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-47572007000300001 |
Resumo: | Challenges to the gene concept have shown the difficulty of preserving the classical molecular concept, according to which a gene is a stretch of DNA encoding a functional product (polypeptide or RNA). The main difficulties are related to the overlaying of the Mendelian idea of the gene as a unit: the interpretation of genes as structural and/or functional units in the genome is challenged by evidence showing the complexity and diversity of genomic organization. This paper discusses the difficulties faced by the classical molecular concept and addresses alternatives to it. Among the alternatives, it considers distinctions between different gene concepts, such as that between the molecular and the evolutionary gene, or between gene-P (the gene as determinant of phenotypic differences) and gene-D (the gene as developmental resource). It also addresses the process molecular gene concept, according to which genes are understood as the whole molecular process underlying the capacity to express a particular product, rather than as entities in bare DNA; a treatment of genes as sets of domains (exons, introns, promoters, enhancers, etc.) in DNA; and a systemic understanding of genes as combinations of nucleic acid sequences corresponding to a product specified or demarcated by the cellular system. In all these cases, possible contributions to the advancement of our understanding of the architecture and dynamics of the genetic material are emphasized. |
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Between the cross and the sword: the crisis of the gene conceptgeneclassical molecular gene conceptMendelian genegenomic complexityChallenges to the gene concept have shown the difficulty of preserving the classical molecular concept, according to which a gene is a stretch of DNA encoding a functional product (polypeptide or RNA). The main difficulties are related to the overlaying of the Mendelian idea of the gene as a unit: the interpretation of genes as structural and/or functional units in the genome is challenged by evidence showing the complexity and diversity of genomic organization. This paper discusses the difficulties faced by the classical molecular concept and addresses alternatives to it. Among the alternatives, it considers distinctions between different gene concepts, such as that between the molecular and the evolutionary gene, or between gene-P (the gene as determinant of phenotypic differences) and gene-D (the gene as developmental resource). It also addresses the process molecular gene concept, according to which genes are understood as the whole molecular process underlying the capacity to express a particular product, rather than as entities in bare DNA; a treatment of genes as sets of domains (exons, introns, promoters, enhancers, etc.) in DNA; and a systemic understanding of genes as combinations of nucleic acid sequences corresponding to a product specified or demarcated by the cellular system. In all these cases, possible contributions to the advancement of our understanding of the architecture and dynamics of the genetic material are emphasized.Sociedade Brasileira de Genética2007-03-01info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontext/htmlhttp://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-47572007000300001Genetics and Molecular Biology v.30 n.2 2007reponame:Genetics and Molecular Biologyinstname:Sociedade Brasileira de Genética (SBG)instacron:SBG10.1590/S1415-47572007000300001info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessEl-Hani,Charbel Niñoeng2007-06-04T00:00:00Zoai:scielo:S1415-47572007000300001Revistahttp://www.gmb.org.br/ONGhttps://old.scielo.br/oai/scielo-oai.php||editor@gmb.org.br1678-46851415-4757opendoar:2007-06-04T00:00Genetics and Molecular Biology - Sociedade Brasileira de Genética (SBG)false |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Between the cross and the sword: the crisis of the gene concept |
title |
Between the cross and the sword: the crisis of the gene concept |
spellingShingle |
Between the cross and the sword: the crisis of the gene concept El-Hani,Charbel Niño gene classical molecular gene concept Mendelian gene genomic complexity |
title_short |
Between the cross and the sword: the crisis of the gene concept |
title_full |
Between the cross and the sword: the crisis of the gene concept |
title_fullStr |
Between the cross and the sword: the crisis of the gene concept |
title_full_unstemmed |
Between the cross and the sword: the crisis of the gene concept |
title_sort |
Between the cross and the sword: the crisis of the gene concept |
author |
El-Hani,Charbel Niño |
author_facet |
El-Hani,Charbel Niño |
author_role |
author |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
El-Hani,Charbel Niño |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
gene classical molecular gene concept Mendelian gene genomic complexity |
topic |
gene classical molecular gene concept Mendelian gene genomic complexity |
description |
Challenges to the gene concept have shown the difficulty of preserving the classical molecular concept, according to which a gene is a stretch of DNA encoding a functional product (polypeptide or RNA). The main difficulties are related to the overlaying of the Mendelian idea of the gene as a unit: the interpretation of genes as structural and/or functional units in the genome is challenged by evidence showing the complexity and diversity of genomic organization. This paper discusses the difficulties faced by the classical molecular concept and addresses alternatives to it. Among the alternatives, it considers distinctions between different gene concepts, such as that between the molecular and the evolutionary gene, or between gene-P (the gene as determinant of phenotypic differences) and gene-D (the gene as developmental resource). It also addresses the process molecular gene concept, according to which genes are understood as the whole molecular process underlying the capacity to express a particular product, rather than as entities in bare DNA; a treatment of genes as sets of domains (exons, introns, promoters, enhancers, etc.) in DNA; and a systemic understanding of genes as combinations of nucleic acid sequences corresponding to a product specified or demarcated by the cellular system. In all these cases, possible contributions to the advancement of our understanding of the architecture and dynamics of the genetic material are emphasized. |
publishDate |
2007 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2007-03-01 |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-47572007000300001 |
url |
http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-47572007000300001 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
10.1590/S1415-47572007000300001 |
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
text/html |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Sociedade Brasileira de Genética |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Sociedade Brasileira de Genética |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
Genetics and Molecular Biology v.30 n.2 2007 reponame:Genetics and Molecular Biology instname:Sociedade Brasileira de Genética (SBG) instacron:SBG |
instname_str |
Sociedade Brasileira de Genética (SBG) |
instacron_str |
SBG |
institution |
SBG |
reponame_str |
Genetics and Molecular Biology |
collection |
Genetics and Molecular Biology |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
Genetics and Molecular Biology - Sociedade Brasileira de Genética (SBG) |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
||editor@gmb.org.br |
_version_ |
1752122380621185024 |