Can all heritable biology really be reduced to a single dimension?

Area of Science:

• Bioinformatics
• Molecular Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• The prevailing view in bioinformatics abstracts genetic and epigenetic information from the physicochemical properties of DNA.
• This perspective, originating from early DNA structure models, emphasizes nucleobase sequence over molecular complexity.
• This has led to a focus on DNA sequencing, reducing complex biology to one-dimensional data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the epistemological boundary between bioinformatics and molecular biology.
• To caution against an overly bioinformatic approach in genomics.
• To advocate for studying the genome from its molecular reality.

Main Methods:

• Reviewing emerging bioinformatic methods that incorporate 3D structural data.
• Analyzing the limitations of sequence-based and structure-based approaches.
• Highlighting the necessity of considering molecular dynamics.

Main Results:

• Evidence challenging the abstraction of genetic information from molecular details has been accumulating.
• Newer bioinformatic methods are beginning to incorporate 3D structural data.
• Even hybrid methods often neglect the crucial role of molecular dynamics.

Conclusions:

• An 'overtly' bioinformatic perspective risks oversimplifying complex biological systems.
• Integrating 3D structures is a step towards a more holistic view.
• The fourth dimension, molecular dynamics over time, is essential for fully understanding gene function.