The biochemistry of cell: efficiency in cells (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, May 27, 2022, 18:38 (693 days ago) @ David Turell

Energy expenditure analyzed:

https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/impact-events/should-we-expect-efficiency-inside-the-...

"Kinesin-1: The Cell’s Cargo Mover
Kinesin-1 moves vesicles around cells by “walking” along rod-like protein assemblies called microtubules (see video below). Kinesin-1 uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as fuel to move around. However, when a team of researchers at Yamaguchi University in Japan measured the motion of Kinesis-1 along the microtubules, they found that up to 80% of the energy released from ATP generated heat instead of movement!

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"As scientists continued to research the operation of Kinesin-1, they recognized that much noisier conditions exist inside the cell than outside on a piece of glass. Given this fact, scientists wanted to know whether this noise affected the energy conversion rate.

"The Efficiency of Kinesin-1
To investigate further, they attached small (~500 nanometer) polymer beads to the Kinesis-1 molecule and then used an infrared laser like a set of “optical tweezers” to grab onto the beads.1 By varying the intensity and location of the laser, they could mimic the type of noise experienced by Kinesin-1 inside the cell. Many tests with the laser setup showed a dramatic increase in efficiency of Kinesin-1 movement—specifically, the molecule sped up—under a load. More significantly, the acceleration of Kinesin-1 increased with the size of the load. Additionally, it appears that many other proteins and enzymes in the cell will experience similar efficiency gains when tested under conditions mimicking those inside the cell (although more tests are needed to confirm this).

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"In similar fashion, Kinesin-1 acts like a poorly designed molecule in the pristine conditions of the lab. However, when it operates in the noisy environment of the cell, it performs beautifully—just like it was designed to do."

Comment: We need to reflect on Gilbert and Sullivan wisdom, 'things are seldom what they seem'. We need to analyze the working systems right down in their environment. Superficial objections to our backwards retina come to mind. The designer knew exactly what He was doing and why. dhw's superfical analysis of God's roundabout way of producing us is a good case in point. As we dig in, every time we find superb design. Humans are a prime endpoint example.