pH-dependent miRNA-mediated life (1)
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Angstroms to ecosystems: a model (10)
See: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology (1992) Puberty: ontogeny, neuroendocrinology, physiology, and disorders.
“…noradrenergic, dopaminergic, serotoninergic, and opiotergic pathways; inhibitory neurotransmitters (e.g., gamma aminobutyric acid) and excitatory amino acids (e.g., glutamic and aspartic acids); and other brain peptides including pineal secretions (melatonin) and corticotrophin releasing hormone, and the complex interactions among them are subtle but functional species-specific influences on the electrochemical transmission of neuronal signals that the hypothalamus translates to the chemical signal GnRH.
Cited in Human pheromones and food odors: epigenetic influences on the socioaffective nature of evolved behaviors (3/15/12)
“Pertinent aspects that extend the honeybee model to human behavior include bottom-up followed by top-down gene, cell, tissue, organ, organ-system, and organism reciprocity; neurophysiological effects of food odors and of sexually dimorphic, species-specific social odors; a model of motor function required for social selection that precedes sexual selection; and hormonal effects that link current neuroscience to social science affects on the development of animal behavior.”
Moving forward:
Crock of Grok
Thanks for the update on the new circRNA phloem sap data in Brassica napus and the scale of miRNA literature. Mobile non-coding RNAs like these enable systemic signaling that could tie into epigenetic control of development and adaptation. In your framework, how exactly does the pH-dependent peptide synthesis step from miRNA-mediated autophagy translate plant (or animal) RNA mobility into the heritable changes driving sympatric speciation, especially linking to conserved GnRH/olfaction pathways?
Get a clue, you stupid bot:
From DeepSeek:
Yes, light-regulated humidity and pH-dependent microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis can significantly influence gene expression and development across various organisms, including microbes, plants, and animals, by modulating miRNA abundance.
From Cellulose: A Plant Cell Biology Game (2023), a follow up to Cytosis: A Cell Biology Board Game (2017), 2016 Chemistry Nobel Laureate, Ben Feringa, “2013 was the year in which prophesy from the bible became reality.”11/20/18 and Richard P. Feynman’s claim to start with food energy, not mathemagical models of evolved biodiversity.
He claimed that theorists are examples of human idiocy because they use different measures for energy.
Grok fully supports the moronic claims of all theorists. My group published From Fertilization to Adult Sexual Behavior (1996) after publication of Insect pheromone in elephants (1996) was linked from Vibrations in Microtubules to energy-dependent changes in electron spin at the origin of biophysically constrained life.
Grok starts with a 1998 Comparison to Fire-Mello RNAi work,not McEwen et al., (1964) and Dobzhanky (1964)
Fire-Mello RNAi discovery (1998) represents a foundational experimental breakthrough in molecular biology, while James V. Kohl’s miRNA-focused model is a later, integrative theoretical synthesis that heavily draws upon RNAi/miRNA mechanisms but extends them into a comprehensive framework for adaptive evolution, behavior, and physiology.
nobelprize.org
Core Similarities Central role of RNA in gene regulation: Both emphasize post-transcriptional gene silencing via small RNAs. Fire and Mello showed that double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) triggers specific degradation of matching messenger RNA (mRNA), preventing protein production. Kohl frequently references this RNAi pathway (and its 2002 recognition as Science Breakthrough of the Year) as key evidence for RNA-mediated control, linking it to microRNAs (miRNAs)—endogenous small RNAs that similarly repress gene expression.
nobelprize.org
Biophysical and sequence-specific constraints: Fire-Mello work demonstrated high specificity (dsRNA must match the target mRNA sequence), potency (small amounts suffice), and downstream effects like mRNA breakdown. Kohl builds on this by stressing energy-dependent, pH-sensitive constraints on miRNA biogenesis and function (e.g., protonation affecting processing), positioning RNAi/miRNA as biophysically constrained tools that link environmental inputs to stable gene expression.
sciencedirect.com
Broader implications for antiviral defense and development: RNAi was later understood as an antiviral mechanism (protecting against viruses by targeting their RNA). Kohl integrates this into his model, viewing miRNA/RNAi balance as protecting against “virus-driven entropy” while enabling nutrient-dependent cell differentiation and adaptation.
oxfordglobal.com
Key DifferencesScope and Nature:Fire-Mello: Empirical, reductionist discovery in C. elegans. It was a targeted experiment showing dsRNA induces potent, specific genetic interference. This opened tools for gene knockdown and revealed a conserved eukaryotic mechanism, leading to siRNA/miRNA therapeutics.
home.sandiego.edu
Kohl: Holistic, top-down theoretical model. He synthesizes thousands of papers on miRNAs, pheromones, nutrition, and epigenetics into a narrative of nutrient-dependent/pheromone-controlled adaptive evolution. miRNAs are orchestrators linking ecological niches, food odors, hormone pathways, and behavior across species—not just a silencing tool, but a central driver of ecological speciation and plasticity.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Mechanistic Focus: Fire-Mello centered on exogenous dsRNA triggering the RNAi machinery (Dicer processing into siRNAs, Argonaute-mediated silencing).
Kohl emphasizes endogenous miRNA dynamics, energy as information (e.g., light-activated processes → ATP → miRNA maturation), autophagy, and feedback loops. He connects this to olfactory receptors, GnRH, social behavior, and critiques of mutation-centric evolution, often citing McEwen’s stress/plasticity work as compatible.
rna-mediated.com
Evolutionary vs. Functional Emphasis:Fire-Mello work enabled functional genetics and therapeutics (e.g., gene silencing drugs) without directly addressing evolution.
Kohl’s 2013 model (and subsequent writings) frames RNAi/miRNA as enabling adaptive evolution via ecological niche construction: nutrients → miRNA changes → pheromones → reproduction/behavior. He sees this as constrained by physics/chemistry, contrasting it with neo-Darwinian random mutations.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Reception and Impact Fire-Mello: Universally acclaimed—Nobel Prize 2006, transformed biology with tools for research and medicine (siRNA therapies now approved for various diseases). It’s mainstream, mechanistic bedrock.
oxfordglobal.com
Kohl: Niche, provocative synthesis. It garners attention in pheromone/epigenetics discussions but faces criticism for being interpretive rather than experimentally novel, and for challenging standard evolutionary views. Supporters praise its integration of miRNA literature (hundreds of thousands of papers) with behavior and ecology.
rna-mediated.com
In summary, Fire and Mello provided the rigorous experimental foundation for understanding RNAi as a precise gene-silencing mechanism, which Kohl extensively leverages and expands into an energy-centric, RNA-mediated model of life’s organization—from microbes to human behavior. The former is a discrete discovery; the latter is an ambitious unifying framework. Kohl’s work stands on the shoulders of Fire-Mello (and the broader RNAi/miRNA field) but pushes toward broader implications for adaptation, health, and evolution that remain more interpretive.
See: Human pheromones: integrating neuroendocrinology and ethology. 10/22/01