Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 6.1 The postulated analogy between the insolvability of the fifth-degree (or quintic)
polynomial equations (I5PE) and the
unpredictability of the 3-D folds
(U3PF) of proteins based
on their amino acid sequence data
Theory of
Algebraic equations
Protein folding
Solved
What is
Fourth-degree and
lower-order
polynomial
equations
2-D folds (i.e.,
a
-helices,
b
-sheets)
By whom
Ancient mathematicians
Computational biologists of
the twentieth century
Insolvable
What is
Fifth-degree and higher-
order polynomial
equations
3-D and higher-order folds
based on amino acid
sequence information
alone
Proved by
N.H. Abel in 1824
Experimental and
theoretical results
accumulated by 2010
Insolvability
explained
By E. Galois in 1846
Probably because the 3-D
protein folds are the
function of (1) amino
acid sequence and (2)
the time- and space-
dependent intracellular
micro-environmental
conditions under which
proteins fold, and the
information concerning
(2) is largely lost to the
past
A New theory of Life
based
on the principle of
physical determinism
and
historical
contingencies
, here
identified with the
Gnergon theory.
Gnergons are defined as
the discrete units of
gnergy, the
complementary union of
information (
gn-
) and
energy
(
New theory
Emerged
Group theory
ergy
) that are
postulated to underlie
all self-organizing
processes in the
Universe including life
(Sects.
2.3.2
,
6.1.2
,
and
11.1
) (Ji 1991,
pp. 152-156)
