Generalization through similarity: motif discourse in the discovery and elaboration of zinc finger proteins.

Celeste Michelle Condit, L Bruce Railsback
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引用次数: 5

Abstract

Background: Biological organisms and their components are better conceived within categories based on similarity rather than on identity. Biologists routinely operate with similarity-based concepts such as "model organism" and "motif." There has been little exploration of the characteristics of the similarity-based categories that exist in biology. This study uses the case of the discovery and classification of zinc finger proteins to explore how biological categories based in similarity are represented.

Results: The existence of a category of "zinc finger proteins" was based in 1) a lumpy gradient of similarity, 2) a link between function and structure, 3) establishment of a range of appearance across systems and organisms, and 4) an evolutionary locus as a historically based common-ground.

Conclusion: More systematic application of the idea of similarity-based categorization might eliminate the assumption that biological characteristics can only contribute to narrow categorization of humans. It also raises possibilities for refining data-driven exploration efforts.

Abstract Image

Abstract Image

相似归纳:锌指蛋白发现与阐述中的基序话语。
背景:生物有机体及其组成部分的分类最好是基于相似性而不是基于同一性。生物学家通常使用基于相似性的概念,如“模式生物”和“基序”。对存在于生物学中的以相似性为基础的分类特征的探索很少。本研究使用锌指蛋白的发现和分类的情况下,探讨如何基于相似性的生物类别表示。结果:一类“锌指蛋白”的存在是基于1)相似性的梯度,2)功能和结构之间的联系,3)跨系统和生物体的一系列外观的建立,以及4)作为历史基础的共同点的进化位点。结论:更系统地应用基于相似性的分类思想可能会消除生物特征只能对人类进行狭隘分类的假设。它还提高了改进数据驱动勘探工作的可能性。
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