Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 11.3 Sign processes (semiosis) at the macroscopic and microscopic levels. (1)
¼
Sign, signifier, representamen, or sign vehicle; (2)
¼
Object,
signified, or referent; (3)
¼
Sign processing mechanisms or interpretants; (4)
¼
Environment or context
Levels
Sign (1)
Object (2)
Interpretant (3)
Context (4)
1.
Human language
(macrosemiotics)
Iconic
Statute
Person
Visual processing
Human brain
Indexical
Smoke
Fire
Visual processing
and reasoning
Human brain
Symbolic
Words
Object signified
Language processing
Brain and society
2.
Cell language
(
cellese
a
) (microsemitoics)
(a)
DNA language
(DNese
a
)
Cell state
b
Iconic
DNA shape
RNA shape
Cell
Conformons
c
Indexical
DNA supercoil
Cell
Cell state
Symbolic
Regulatory genes
Structural genes
Cell
Cell state
(b)
RNA language
(RNese
a
)
Iconic
mRNA shape
tRNA
Cell
Cell state
Conformons
c
Indexical
RNA hairpins (?)
Cell
Cell state
Symbolic
tRNA anti-codons
Amino acids
Cell
Cell state
(c)
Protein language
(proteinese
a
)
Iconic
Active site shape
Ligand shape
Cell
Cell state
Virtual conformons
d
Conformons
c
Indexical
Cell
Cell state
Symbolic
Amino acid sequence
3-D protein folds
Cell
Cell state
(d)
Biochemical
language
(biochemicalese
a
)
Iconic
First messengers
Receptors
Cell
Cell state
Indexical
Binding affinity
Virtual conformons
of receptors
Cell
Cell state
Symbolic Acetyl-choline Contraction Smooth muscle cell Cell state
Relaxation Cardiac muscle cell Cell state
Histamine Contraction Bronchial muscle cell Cell state
Relaxation Vascular smooth muscle cell Cell state
a
The terms,
DNese
,
RNese
and
proteinese
were coined by a young American biochemist whom I met at the International Workshop on the Linguistics of
Biology and the Biology of Language held in Cuernavaca, Mexico, in 1998, where I had presented the cell language (“cellese”) theory, prior to the young
biochemist's lecture in which he announced these neologisms. I am responsible for the coinage of
cellese
and
biochemicalese
b
The study of which is called “cytosociology” in Smith and Welch (1991)
c
Conformational or mechanical energy stored in sequence-specific sites in DNA, RNA, or proteins (Chap.
8
)
d
Virtual conformons
are the transient local conformational strains induced at a binding packet by thermal fluctuations of a protein which can be converted into
