DNA Paramedics Repair Chromosomes | The Institute for Creation Research

DNA Paramedics Repair Chromosomes

In the mid-1800s, a mild Augustinian friar named Gregor Mendel crossbred pea plants and pioneered the beginnings of understanding inherited traits. Genetics has come a long way since then.

Neither Mendel nor Charles Darwin knew anything about the incredible molecule of life, DNA. Today, papers are published daily in science journals describing new discoveries of DNA’s role as a regulator and repairman.

Scientists have known for decades that DNA can be damaged by too much sun (UV radiation) or exposure to harmful chemicals and carcinogens. Upon examination of damaged DNA, the researchers discovered that whole families of submicroscopic repair enzymes (tiny machines) were constantly restoring the damaged DNA.1 It has been estimated that as many as one million individual molecular lesions (trauma) of DNA occur per cell per day that need repair.2 Since we are designed with trillions of cells, you can imagine the sheer number of tiny repair enzymes hard at work in each person!

Now a U.S.C. Dornsife study reveals a molecule that “walks” damaged DNA to a kind of emergency room in the cell.3 Using florescent markers, scientists “saw how the cell launches an emergency response to repair broken DNA strands from a type of tightly-packed DNA, heterochromatin.” Heterochromatin are areas of the genome in which little is known due to their lack of protein-coding genes. However, researchers think that damage in some heterochromatin may possibly lead to cancer.

The study describes that after the strands of DNA are injured, tiny filaments of a protein called actin form, producing a road to the edge of the nucleus. This is what the myosin (the “paramedics”) use to travel along the actin road with the broken DNA. The “emergency room” is a complex pore at the nuclear edge. As Assistant Professor Irene Chiolo said, “What we think is happening here is that the damage triggers a defense mechanism that quickly builds the road, the actin filament, while also turning on an ambulance, the myosin.”3

In an interesting admission, the article stated that repetitious DNA sequences in heterochromatin were for several decades referred to as “junk DNA.” But with more research “studies have shown that repeated DNA sequences are in fact essential for many nuclear activities.”3

Creationists believe God doesn’t make junk. Tweet: Creationists believe God doesn’t make junk.

DNA Paramedics Repair Chromosomes: http://www.icr.org/article/dna-paramedics-repair-chromosomes

@icrscience

#Science #DNA

Creationists believe God doesn’t make junk. In addition, these numerous submicroscopic protein machines walking along countless actin highways reflect what the apostle Paul said in Romans 1:20—God’s creation is “clearly seen.”

References

  1. Sherwin, F. 2004. Mending Mistakes—The Amazing Ability of RepairActs & Facts. 33 (6); and Thomas, B. 2008. DNA Repair Enzymes: Vital Links in the Chain of Life. Creation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org August 27, 2008, accessed July 1, 2018.
  2. Lodish, H. et al. 2013. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 5th ed. New York: Freeman, 151.
  3. “Walking molecules” haul away damaged DNA to the cell’s emergency room. PhysOrg. Posted on phys.org June 20, 2018, accessed June 21, 2018.

* Mr. Frank Sherwin is Research Associate, Senior Lecturer, and Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.

Article posted on July 24, 2018.

The Latest
CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
Getting the Gospel into People's Hands | Creation.Live Podcast:...
Can God use an atheist airline pilot to reach other nations with the truth of the Gospel? The answer, obviously, is yes.   Host...

NEWS
Chimp Genome Only 75% Similar to Human?
An oft-repeated claim of evolutionary propaganda is that chimpanzee and human DNA are 98.5% identical. This high level of DNA similarity, which has...

NEWS
''73-Million-Year-Old'' Alaskan Salmon
Fish evolution remains an enigma. Evolutionists can only say fish first “appeared” over a half-billion years ago.1 Creationists...

NEWS
God's Memorial Day
“And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of...

NEWS
The Origin of Eukaryotes
Eukaryotes are multicellular organisms that contain diverse differentiated cell types. Within almost every cell there are subcellular compartments called...

CREATION PODCAST
Water vs. Wind: The Controversial Coconino | The Creation Podcast:...
Welcome to the sixth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old...

NEWS
Fossil Fish Finally Filmed
The bizarre lobe-finned coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) “that flourished some 350 million years ago”1 continues to be a thorn...

NEWS
The Mosasaur: A Giant Sea Dragon
Mosasaurs (order Squamata) were massive marine lizards that were common in the pre-Flood oceans. Therefore, it is not surprising that their fossils...

DAYS OF PRAISE DEVOTIONALS
Summer 2025
...

NEWS
Was Life Detected on a Distant Planet?
There was celebration, albeit briefly, for the discovery of potential life on a planet called K2-18b, which is 124 lightyears away from Earth. The...