[Bored chemist]

DNA is the most hydrated molecule in the cell.

Says who?

[puppypower (OP)]

DNA is the most hydrated molecule in the cell.

Says who?

http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/nucleic_acid_hydration.html

Nucleic acid hydration is crucially important for their conformation and utility [1093], as noted by Watson and Crick [828]. The organized hydration extends to several nanometers from the surface. The strength of these aqueous interactions is far greater than those for proteins due to their highly ionic character [542b]. The DNA double helix can take up several conformations (for example, right-handed A-DNA pitch 28.2 Å 11 bp, B-DNA pitch 34 Å 10 bp, C-DNA pitch 31Å 9.33 bp, D-DNA pitch 24.2 Å 8 bp and the left-handed Z-DNA pitch 43Å 12 bp) with differing hydration. The predominant natural DNA, B-DNA, has a wide and deep major groove and a narrow and deep minor groove and requires the greatest hydration. Lowering the hydration (for example by adding ethanol) may cause transitions from B-DNA to A-DNA [2784] to Z-DNA.

This can be inferred from the huge size of the DNA, in conjunction with organized hydrogen bonding extending several nanometers beyond the DNA, with these aqueous intersections far greater than in proteins due to their ionic content on DNA.

What is also cool is DNA exists in many conformation with the dominate conformation of life; B-DNA, the most hydrated, Water has been moving the scale over time such that the present reflects maximum hydration in terms of the 3-D DNA conformation.

The bases of DNA have also been designed with water in mind.  Below are the base pairs and the hydration sites connected to thebasl pairs. Years ago I wondered why there were more hydrogen bonding sites than needed by the base pairs, since DNA in textbooks was always shown as being water free. It turns out these extra sites had been earmarked for water.

In the context of the entire DNA, these hydration sites within the base pairs, are all connected with other water and form a double helix of water that runs along the axis of the DNA, in the major and minor grooves. DNA is actually a copolymer of DNA-water with each having a double helix. This should be how DNA is presented in text books, so the students will start to ask new questions.

The processing of the genetic information within DNA is facilitated by highly discriminatory and strong protein binding. It has been shown that the interfacial water molecules can serve as 'hydration fingerprints' of a given DNA sequence [889]. The usual 'hydration fingerprint' of the DNA is disrupted by DNA damage, and this facilitates repair protein attachment. The hydration spine (see above) is capable of carrying messages, as facilitated proton movement down the water wire, between binding sites in a similar, if complementary, manner to the electron transfer through the DNA residues [2258] and so coordinate the repair process.
 
The primary driving force for the specificity of protein binding is the entropy increase due to the release of bound water molecules (estimated at 3.6 kJ ˣ mol-1 for minor groove water and 2.3 kJ ˣ mol-1 for major groove water, both at 300 K [1096]), c with the DNA sequence determining the hydration pattern in the major and minor grooves (see above).

This bring us back to entropy and the control of entropy. The aqueous hydrogen bonding on the DNA allows water to form cooperative hydrogen bonds, which are similar to partial resonance structures. Oxygen is mediating the blur between polar and covalent bonding. This organization of the water, lowers the water's entropy. The cooperative is low enthalpy and low entropy, but free energy favorable. Protein attachment disrupts the cooperative; bolt cutter and recoil, causing an entropy increase in the water. This change in free energy helps the enzyme.

[Bored chemist]

Quote from: Bored chemist on Yesterday at 17:07:37
    Quote from: puppypower on Yesterday at 16:40:23
        DNA is the most hydrated molecule in the cell.
    Says who?

http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/nucleic_acid_hydration.html

So, nobody actually said it (that page doesn't).

DNA is actually held together by hydrophobic interactions
https://phys.org/news/2019-09-dna-held-hydrophobic.html

[puppypower (OP)]

Quote from: Bored chemist on Yesterday at 17:07:37
    Quote from: puppypower on Yesterday at 16:40:23
        DNA is the most hydrated molecule in the cell.
    Says who?

http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/nucleic_acid_hydration.html

So, nobody actually said it (that page doesn't).

DNA is actually held together by hydrophobic interactions
https://phys.org/news/2019-09-dna-held-hydrophobic.html

I did read somewhere in Dr Chaplin's online book that DNA is the most hydrated molecule in the cell, however i cannot find it quickly. It can also be inferred from what I posted since the DNA of a human cell is about 2-3 meters long, which in longer than proteins.

As far as DNA held together with hydrophobic interactions this is true. However, it does not tell the whole story of why DNA has been designed as it is. In a way, similar to protein folding, the hydrophobic groups on the sugar and bases on a single helix of DNA, are peaks on the energy landscape diagram for DNA. These energy peaks are with respect to water. Water can lower its internal potential; surface tension, by having the hydrophobic groups pack so they can be shielded from the aqueous continuum. This forms the double helix.

The bases and sugars of the DNA not only have hydrophobic groups, but also contain polar groups which can form hydrogen bonds with water as well as base pairs. The net affect is the hydrophobic interactions are moderated, by the hydrogen bonded water, making the DNA more reversible. Unlike the proteins which are designed to maintain a more permanent configuration, the DNA is designed to be reversible because of the internal aqueous hydrogen bonding that is working in opposition to the hydrophobic interactions.

This energy landscape situation places the phosphate groups on the outside, with the many oxygen of phosphate able to participate in hydrogen bonding with the bulk water. The  (PO4)-1 group is considered chaotropic, or binds to water weaker than water binds to itself via hydrogen bonding The net affect is the surface phosphate groups participates in hydrogen bonding with the aqueous continuum, but in a slightly weakened way, which also helps reversibility.  The chaotropic nature of the  (PO4)-1 group also makes it easier to shift to and from packing proteins.

The observed methylation and carboxylation of the DNA have opposite affects in terms of reversibility. Methylation by adding additional organic; methyl groups, increases the hydrophobic impact of the core and makes it harder to reverse. While carboxylation, by adding a hydrogen bonding group shifts the interior of the helix toward water side and makes it easier to reverse.

If we look at RNA versus DNA, RNA has an extra -OH group on its sugar; ribose. This adds to the hydrogen bonding of the water side and increases reversibility. RNA also contains one different base; uracil compared to the DNA; thymine, which differs by the loss of a methyl group of thymine.  These combined affects allows the RNA to overcome the weaker hydrophobic bindings making it a single helix in water.

[Bored chemist]

DNA is the most hydrated molecule in the cell.

Define "most hydrated".

[puppypower (OP)]

DNA is the most hydrated molecule in the cell.

Define "most hydrated".

One way to define to hydration is connected to the water that remains, attached to a molecule, after the molecule has been centrifuged. The water that does not come off with a centrifuge, is  chemically bound, whereas physically bound water will be removed by a centrifuge.

Wet cotton clothes in the wash machine can hold a lot of physically bound water. This water is released during the spin cycle. Chemically bound water is water that will remain chemically bonded, via hydrogen bonds, even if the spin cycle used a centrifuge. In the case of the DNA, because it such a long molecule with a lot of hydrogen bonding sites, the chemically bound water is very large in terms of total number of water molecules.

Another way to define hydration is with a physical chemical term called activity. The activity of water is defined as the amount of available hydrogen bonding capacity, within a water solution. The activity of pure water s defined as 1.0, and as we add things to the water, and water interact via aqueous hydrogen bonding, the activity falls below 1.0.

Say we started with a hundred beakers each with a small amount of water; 1ml.  The water begins as pure water with an activity of 1.0. To each beadier we add "one" molecule of various substances, The beaker with the DNA will lower the activity the most. DNA is so huge and has many places to directly bind water. This orders the water and also impacts secondary water, so the activity of that beaker lowers the most.

[Bored chemist]

So, the water in a test tube, since it will stay in the tube if it is centrifuged is water of hydration by your definition.
You seem not to have noticed that your statements are contradictory.
A spin dryer is a centrifuge.

Say we started with a hundred beakers each with a small amount of water; 1ml.  The water begins as pure water with an activity of 1.0. To each beadier we add "one" molecule of various substances, The beaker with the DNA will lower the activity the most. DNA is so huge and has many places to directly bind water.

Imagine, instead that you add 1 milligram  of various substances.
Sugar and salt will be more hydrated than DNA.

[puppypower (OP)]

So, the water in a test tube, since it will stay in the tube if it is centrifuged is water of hydration by your definition.
You seem not to have noticed that your statements are contradictory.
A spin dryer is a centrifuge.

Say we started with a hundred beakers each with a small amount of water; 1ml.  The water begins as pure water with an activity of 1.0. To each beadier we add "one" molecule of various substances, The beaker with the DNA will lower the activity the most. DNA is so huge and has many places to directly bind water.

Imagine, instead that you add 1 milligram  of various substances.
Sugar and salt will be more hydrated than DNA.

I think we can add jello to the list.

I think we are loosing track of the forest because of the trees. My original claim was "most hydrated molecule in the cell". I was comparing DNA, RNA, protein and other large molecules in the cell. This status as most hydrated is important because it implies the DNA represents one pole of the cellular aqueous gradient. It has a place on top of the aqueous hierarchy. In other words, organics in water create potential as surface tension in water. The internal structures within cells, by being different, impact different the local potentials in water, differently. DNA is at the low end of this potential grid. This grid is important for coordination and it sets the potentials for directional material flow as a way to lower the potential. The catalytic grid resets the potentials.

The topic is the copartnership of the organics of life and the water of life. I am trying to rough in the bigger picture since life exists from cells to multicellular. SInce, you are interested in the hydration of DNA, below is a more detailed analysis.

Thus, in B-DNA, guanine will hydrogen-bond to a water molecule from both the minor groove 2-amino- and major groove 6-keto-groups with further single hydration on the free ring nitrogen atoms (minor groove N3 and major groove N7). Cytosine will hydrogen-bond to a water molecule from both the major groove 4-amino- and minor groove 2-keto-groups. Adenine will hydrogen-bond to a water molecule from the major groove 6-amino-group with further single hydration on the free ring nitrogen atoms (minor groove N3 and major groove N7). Thymine (and uracil, if base-paired in RNA) will hydrogen-bond to a water molecule from both the minor groove 2-keto- and major groove 4-keto-groups. Phosphate hydration in the major groove is thermodynamically stronger but exchanges faster. There are six (from crystal structures, [143]) or seven (from molecular dynamics, [144]) hydration sites per phosphate a, not including hydration of the linking oxygen atoms to the deoxyribose or ribose residues. The deoxyribose oxygen atoms (O3' phosphodiester, ring O4' and O5' phosphodiester) all hydrogen-bond to one water molecule whereas the free 2'-OH in ribose is much more capable of hydration and may hold on to about 2.5 water molecules. b The total for all these hydrations, in a G3 H-bondsC duplex, would be about 26-27 but about 14 of these water molecules are shared. There are many ways in which these water molecules can be arranged with B-DNA possessing 22 possible primary hydration sites per base pair in a G3 H-bondsC duplex but only occupying 19 of them [144]. The DNA structure depends on how these sites are occupied; water providing the zip, holding the two strands together. It should be noted that cations may transiently replace about 2% of the hydrating water molecule sites.

In DNA, the bases are involved in hydrogen-bonded pairings, close to the 0.28 nm bond length found between hydrogen-bonded water molecules in liquid water. The aqueous environment causes a slight lengthening (≈ 1%) of the DNA hydrogen bonds and weakens them significantly (≈ 50%) [1867].d All these groups, except for the hydrogen-bonded ring nitrogen atoms (pyrimidine N3 and purine N1) are capable of one further hydrogen-bonding link to water within the major or minor grooves in B-DNA.

The starter sequences for genes on the DNA are rich in Adenine. Water hydration plays a role in both energetics and protein recognition.

The hydration of the B-DNA minor groove is dependent on the DNA sequence with water-bridge lifetimes varying from 1 to 300 ps [1767], depending on the sequence. The hydration usually involves single water molecules connecting the strands. However, connection via pairs of water molecules, with varying interchange between these forms, may allow greater structural flexibility in the DNA and interactions with specific proteins [1605]. There is a spine of hydration running down the bottom of the B-DNA minor groove, particularly where there is the A=T duplex [145] (see right, where the water oxygen atoms are shown large green and red, where the red atoms are the primary hydration water and the green atoms are the secondary hydration water, [1136]), which is important in stabilizing it [146]. Thus, A=T duplex sequences favor water binding in the minor groove and also protein binding there driven by the large entropy release on this low entropy water's release [1136].

 

[Bored chemist]

The catalytic grid resets the potentials.

Word salad

I was comparing DNA, RNA, protein and other large molecules in the cell.

And I guess you missed out glycogen (in animals) and starch (in plants) because it didn't fit with your idea.

[puppypower (OP)]

The catalytic grid resets the potentials.

Word salad

I was comparing DNA, RNA, protein and other large molecules in the cell.

And I guess you missed out glycogen (in animals) and starch (in plants) because it didn't fit with your idea.

Glycogen is a good transitional molecule to discuss, so we can move forward with the topic, which is, are water and organics copartners in life. Glycogen is a polymer of glucose. It is used for energy storage. Energy rich organic molecules within the cell; reduced, imply a free energy potential will be induced within the cellular water. The polymerization into glycogen lowers the potential, somewhat, but it does not fully remove it. Glycogen is on the oil side of the water-oil analogy. It increases the potential within the cellular water, relative to pure water.

Energy storage in cells, when taken to the limit, potentiates the water, causing equilibrium changes within the organics, that are dissolved and are in contact with the water. One important global equilibrium result are cell cycles. The water by being the continuos phase, allows the change in water potential to impact equilibria throughout the cell. The energy storage helps the cell change gears via the global water potential. All forms of cancer use water equilibria.

One way the cellular water potential can shift the organic equilibrium, more in its favor, is to burn the extra energy and increase production of ATP. The burning of the energy is self explanatory, while ATP is a water friendly molecule, that can also be used to increase water entropy; lowers aqueous free energy. Favorable equilibria can also increase the production of RNA, since RNA is favorably hydrated on the water side of the potential. This allows the cell to make all the extra proteins needed for two daughter cells.

DNA is normally packed with histone packing protein into various levels of packing. This packing can go all the way to condensed chromosomes. The packing proteins are basic proteins with organic tails separating their charges. DNA packs with the packing protein to shelter the water from the surface tension causes by the packing protein. The various levels of DNA and packing protein are like larger and larger bubbles, combining in water-oil, to lower surface tension.

During the cell cycles the DNA becomes unpacked and the DNA double helix is separated for DNA duplication.

The change in the free energy of the surrounding water aids the conversion of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) into double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) as the water molecules are more stable around dsDNA than around ssDNA even out to about 0.65 nm (3 hydration layers) [2693].

Double strand DNA; dsDNA is more stable than single strand DNA; ssDNA, because water is more stable around dsDNA. The double helix minimizes the water potential. In cell cycles, because the  the water potential is higher and the equilibrium is different, this allowing the ssDNA to stay open for duplication with less resistance. Once the DNA is doubled, this creates excess potential via four higher potential ssDNA, requiring two dsDNA to lower the excess potential.

The condensing of the DNA into chromosomes, near the end of cycle cycles, suggests the water has induced new equilibrium changes. Now the water potential is favorable to the water, causing inducing DNA to pack (shield packing protein) all the way to condensed chromosomes. There is now a new equilibria sheriff in town; divide the DNA and the two daughter cells.

[puppypower (OP)]

Quote from: ron123456 on 17/12/2019 21:54:19
Does the Na+K+ pump not provide 3Na+ out and 2K+ in across the cellular membrane leading to a specific potential difference?......and is this potential difference not less in a cancer cell?......and is this not due to the mitochondria not functioning up to par in a cancer cell  according to Otto Warburg? Is this lower membrane potential differences due to damaged local nerve endings or a biofilm coating? Is this what is being suggested here? I don't know and if you could elaborate perhaps it's a start which should be considered.....

The Na+K+ pumps segregate and concentrate these ions on the opposite sides of the cellular membrane. This results in a lowering of entropy at the membrane, since left to their own devices both of these ions would prefer form a uniform concentration; highest entropy. The net affect is the Na+K+ pumps create an entropy potential at the membrane. There is an induced potential for entropy to increase at the membrane, which can be expressed by dynamics on both sides of the membrane. These dynamics are all mediated by water. 

Sodium ions are kosmotropic which means they can bind to water stronger than water molecules blind to each other via hydrogen bonding. While Potassium ions are chaotropic which means they can bind to water weaker than water binds to itself. The net effect is the Potassiums ions in water; hydrated ions, are time average smaller than hydrated Sodiums ions in water. Both carry hydration spheres, but the weaker binding of Potassium ions in water makes its hydration sphere more transient and less specific. This allows Potassium ions to flow through the membrane easier, by  changing water partners, in response to the concentration gradient and the induced entropy potential.

In terms of water and hydrogen bonding, hydrogen bonds have both covalent and polar character. They are similar to binary switch since they can flip back and forth without breaking the hydrogen bond.  The polar aspect of hydrogen bonding is smaller in bond length and higher in both entropy and enthalpy, compared to the covalent aspect. The entropy potential induced by the ion pumping flips in the switch toward the polar side. This helps to skinny down the Potassium ions. It also helps with other transport affects.

The impact of the nerve tissue near cells is to increase the Sodium ion concentration outside the cell as well lower the Potassium ion concentration, similar to the Na+K+ pumps. The nerves do this because of its status of among the highest membrane potential cells, and its own Na+K+ pumps, This provides a backup plan, even if there are problems with cellular Mitochondria, which could a;er the cellular membrane potential. Damaged nerve endings remove the back up plan, making it easier for the propagation of cancer, all else being equal.

[Bored chemist]

, imply a free energy potential will be induced within the cellular water.

Word salad

[puppypower (OP)]

, imply a free energy potential will be induced within the cellular water.

Word salad

In terms of Na+K+ pumping and a free energy potential forming in the water, a good example is osmosis. This has been explained in an earlier post. In the case of the membrane, ions do not move without coming in intimate contact with water, thereby transmitting potential and information in water, as water regroups in space; flip the binary hydrogen bonding switches. 

The Na+K+ pumping and the preliminary discussion of cancer, is a good step off point to a very important application of the water-oil model for life. In particular, the brain and nervous system epitomize the water side of the potential. Even consciousness is on the water side potential, since this is essentially ions and the binary switches of hydrogen bonding in water transmitting information.

Since water and organics are copartners in life, the brain and nervous system; water side, can influence the oil side; organics. At the same time, the oil side; organics can influence the brain and nervous system. Medicine is currently a predominately an oil side approach to life. There is also a water side approach to medicine, connected to the brain and nervous system. This approach is both ancient and futuristic; witch doctor and water chemistry. Faith healing uses consciousness for a water based induction. A good attitude is fat free and useful to healing.

Neurons are unique cells in that they stop reproducing at about the time of birth. They are self renewing and can live for decades and even longer. The cellular change, at birth, into eternal cells is useful for cellular differentiation control, since neurons, once they stop reproducing, are never taken off-line by cell cycles. This allows for a more consistent control system.

Before birth; fetus and embryo, neurons can and do replicate. The impact of this ability to replicate,  earlier, in terms of the cellular differentiation control system, is the control system moves between being on-line and off-line. This provides a cycling water potential for cellular differentiation and proliferation of stem cells.

From embryo to birth, dividing and multiplying neurons form sort of a sine wave of fluctuating potential, that is climbing an energy ramp. The climb reflects the combined signals of more and more neurons. This control profile tweaks the potential around stem cells in a systematic fashion. Below is a crude approximation for the affect. At birth, the sine wave collapses, into more or less a line with real time noise; neuron firing and recovery based on consciousness and unconscious feedback with the internal and external environments.

Interaction with the control cells occurs via nerve endings and the water and ions which are shared with the control cell. This impacts the free energy in the shared water. The organic side of medicine does not deal wth this very much, since its affect lacks organics and may seem like magic. However, there are organics involved, that reflect equilibrium affects.



 

[Bored chemist]

Do you plan to make a point at some stage?

I ask because this thread starts off with something that's not true

If you started with a packet of baker's yeast, the yeast cells are initially dehydrated and show no signs of life.

and doesn't seem to get better

[Bored chemist]

This has been explained in an earlier post. In the case of the membrane, ions do not move without coming in intimate contact with water

Osmosis works with other solvents.
Water is weird, but not magic.

[puppypower (OP)]

In terms of cellular differentiation control and the nervous system of the human body, all cells in the human body have the same DNA. Different cells are differentiated based on using different proportions of the genes available to all cells. What this suggests is each dynamic DNA differentiation, for each differentiated cell, is nothing but an equilibrium configuration with a given water potential. If you can control the water potential, than any differentiated dynamic DNA packing shape will hold firm.

The analogy is packing and folding protein. When unpacked and unfolded, proteins create an energy landscape diagram with the water. The packing priority is based on lowering the potential of the water and protein in the most efficient way. This sweet path is always the same, leading to reproducible protein configurations with probability of 1.0. Statistics does not apply when water is in charge. This is more needed for the oil side approach.

With the DNA and cellular differentiation control, this is done in reverse. We start with condensed chromosomes, which is DNA that is efficiently packed with various levels of packing protein. The condensed chromosomes are equivalent, in the water and oil analogy, to oil that has phased separated from the water into one layer. This minimizes the potential of the water by lowering the surface area with the packing proteins.

Based on the water and oil analogy of the condensed chromosomes being analogous to two layers; chromosomes and water, what we now need to do is add agitation and break up the one layer of oil; condensed chromosomes, back into bubbles. Depending on how hard and fast we agitate, we can get more or less bubbles, as well as control the size distribution. This is assisted by equilibrium enzymes, based on the global water potential, which can be assisted by the nervous control interface.

When the chromosomes are condensed, the DNA is offline and unable to do anything. The DNA is not part of the control system. The DNA is passive and receptive with all its genes off-line. We need an outside potential for change to occur, os we can put the DNA back online, in a differentiated way; unique equilibrium dynamic packing configuration.

One of the keys to induced DNA differentiation, from a commonly packed DNA, is the DNA is not uniform along its length, but rather it is set up with internal gradients. One stable anchor or pole for the gradient is the centromere region, where the spindle attaches. The nucleolus region is another. In terms of unpacking a gradient DNA, the affect is similar to heating a composite material with a stable pole, where the state pole is only responsive to extreme heating. At weaker levels of heating, the outer most layers of the packing, fluff out. The rest stays packed. If we control the heating, we can stop the reversible packing, at any given unpacking differentiation. For this to be possible, you need to be able to dial in the water potential, in a precise way, so any dynamic equilibrium packing shape; in water, stays where you put it.

During the late stages of cell cycles, after the DNA is duplicated, condensed into chromosomes,  and taken off-line, the nuclear membrane disappears. This is useful since the aqueous impact of the outer cell membrane, is less obstructed, by the nuclear membrane. The spindle firms up the centromere pole. This stable pole makes it easier to create an unpacking equilibrium image, onto the condensed chromosomes.

Since the DNA has to unpack, for the DNA to come back on line, and unpacked DNA exposes packing protein, increasing the water potential, the equilibrium in the water needs to be impacted by the oil side to create the potential. The materials needed for the daughter cells has an impact on the global water potential, which "heats" the water to achieve a parallel equilibrium DNA configuration to its proteins.

If we start with a mother cell, with her nerve ending nearby, if we assume the nerve is helping to inhibit cell cycles, as part of its role in cellular differentiation control, that means it generates potential on the water side of the water-oil analogy. Our two daughter cells are generating  potential on the oil side. The impact of the nerve is to discourage DNA unpacking beyond a certain point induced by the cells protein and organic materials; secondary control.

[puppypower (OP)]

This has been explained in an earlier post. In the case of the membrane, ions do not move without coming in intimate contact with water

Osmosis works with other solvents.
Water is weird, but not magic.

What makes water magical is water molecules can form up to four hydrogen bonds. This creates a situation similar to carbon, but based on secondary bonding. Carbon can form extended structures in space; polymers, while water can also form extended structures, that allow information and potential to distribute over larger areas via changes in hydrogen bonding. Water can open up a path for the Potassium ions, to get then through membrane, to help lower the shared free energy potential, due to the cationic pumping.

Carbon can form extended structures, but covalent bonding, besides resonance, is more or less restricted to local information and potential. 

Part of the problem is this is a new theory, which means it does not yet have resources needed to do it the easy way. Anyone can do empirical. This only requiresa lets see wha happens attitude. I have chose to develop it from basic logic, observation and theory, so the audience can follow, but without the ease money can buy. I am not trying to mimic others, but rather wish to be unique, since this area of science needs a push in a unprecedented way.

What I probably need is a way to supplement the water based analysis, with more organic and oil side detail. I can apply the model to anything in life, but my knowledge of the oil side details is limited. The oil side is a composite of tens of thousands of scientists over a hundred years. I can't be expected to do the same all by myself. Nor do I wish to get bogged down in the weeds and lose track of the big picture. However, the model has to run parallel through all the data to prove the premise of the topic. I have to choose my battles, everywhere, even in places where the oil side cannot yet go, without the water side.

[Bored chemist]

What this suggests is each dynamic DNA differentiation, for each differentiated cell, is nothing but an equilibrium configuration with a given water potential.

No.
It does not suggest that.
If it was water availability that decided which DNA was expressed and thus what cells became then every time you needed a pee, your bladder would turn into a different organ.

The idea really is that stupid.


Why are you persisting with it?

[puppypower (OP)]

What this suggests is each dynamic DNA differentiation, for each differentiated cell, is nothing but an equilibrium configuration with a given water potential.

No.
It does not suggest that.
If it was water availability that decided which DNA was expressed and thus what cells became then every time you needed a pee, your bladder would turn into a different organ.

The idea really is that stupid.


Why are you persisting with it?

If you go back to the beginning, I did an analysis of dehydrating cells and replacing water with other solvents. Nothing works. You would not be able to induce any differentiation, with any other solvent, even if all the organics were present. Water works, because everything has had to evolved within an aqueous nano-environment. All the structures in the cell are in equilibrium with water; water-oil affect, with the goal is minimizing the water potential since water is the majority component. Most of life science is from the oil side and water side is less developed. My goal is to introduce th water side with a wide range of applications.

[Bored chemist]

I did an analysis of dehydrating cells and replacing water with other solvents. Nothing works.

That makes about as much sense as trying to fit a spark plug into a diesel engine, finding that there isn't a place for it and concluding that diesel engines can't work.

Just because life here is based on water doesn't mean that all life must be.

On some hypothetical planet "Water Ammonia works, because everything has had to evolved within an aqueous amoniacal nano-environment. ".
You can't rule that out so you can't say that water is a requirement for life.

If you did find a planet with ammonia based life it's possible that water would screw things up.