The Jaina Doctrine of Karma And The Science Of Genetics: Organization Of The Cell

To know about the types of genes first, we shall have to understand biology of cell of structure. Each of 100 trillion cells in the human being is a living structure that can survive indefinitely and in most instances, can even reproduce itself, provided it's surrounding fluids contain appropriate nutrients. To understand the function of the organs and other structures of the body it is essential that first understand the basic organization of the cell and functions of its components parts.^[122]

To summarize the body is actually a social order of about 100 trillion cells organized into different functional structure provides its share in the maintenance of homeostatic conditions in the extra cellular fluid, which is called the internal environment, the cells of the body continue to leave and function properly. Thus each cell benefits from homeostatic, and in turn each cell contributes its share towards the maintenance of homeostatic. This reciprocal interplay provides continuous automaticity of the body until one or more functional system lose their ability to contribute their share of function. When this happens, all the cells of the body suffer. Extreme dysfunction leads to death, where as moderate dysfunction leads to sickness.^[123]

Cells are highly organized units of molecules and macromolecules in which chemical reactions are carried out that together produce a unique property we define as life. Another unifying principle in biology is the overall composition of cells which regardless of type and function are basically the same. Thus the unitary concept in biology is that all organisms are related to one another and have evolved from some common ancestor. Any cell except red blood cells contain a central prominent nucleus and cytoplasm (fig. 5). The nucleus controls the cellular factory like the board of director.

Human egg x 100	=	0.1 mm.
Human egg: Amoeba	=	100 microns.
Sea urchin egg	=	70 microns.
Liver cell	=	20 microns.
RBC	=	7 microns.
Typhoid bacillus	=	2.4 x 0.5 microns.
Influenza bacillus	=	0.5 x 0.2 microns.
Small leukocyte	=	3 to 3 microns.

• Nucleus cytoplasm ratio
• Ratio of cell surface area to cell volume.
• Rate of cellular activity.

When a cell enlarges, the surface area of the nucleus across which an interchange of material must pass increases only as the square of cell radius (area of sphere 3.14r²) while the cell volume increases as the cube of cell volume 3.14r. A disproportionate increase of cytoplasm will put the cell out of metabolic kilter. The nucleus can increase its surface area by changing shape or doubting the chromosome number. Air which contains 20% oxygen, supplies the center of cell of 0.1 mm in diameter with sufficient oxygen to maintain metabolism.

C = carbon
H = hydrogen
N = nitrogen
O = oxygen
P = phosphorus
S = sulphur

The trace elements needed for all cells to function are:

Na = sodium
K = potassium
Ca = calcium
Mg = magnesium
Mn = manganese
Fe = iron
Co = cobalt
Cu = copper
Zn = zinc
Cl = chliride

Trace elements needed for some cells are:

B = boron
F = fluorine
Si = silicon
V = vanadium
Cr = chromium
Se = selenium
Mo = molybdenum
I = iodine.^[124]

A typical cell as seen by the light microscope is illustrated in fig. 6.^[125] Its two major parts are the nucleus and cytoplasm. The nucleus is separated from the cytoplasm by a nuclear membrane, and the cytoplasm is separated from the surrounding fluids by a cell membrane. The different substances that make up the cell are collectively called protoplasm. Protoplasm is composed mainly of five basic substances - water, electrolytes (minerals), proteins, lipids (fats) and carbohydrates.

(i) Water
The principal fluid medium of the cell is water, which is present in a concentration of between 70 and 85%. Many cellular chemicals are dissolved in the water, whereas others are suspended in particulate or membranous form. Chemical reactions take place among the dissolved chemicals or at the surface boundaries between the suspended particles or membranes and the water.

(ii) Electrolytes (mineral)
The most important electrolytes in the cell are potassium, magnesium, phosphate, sulphate, bicarbonate and small quantities of sodium, chloride and calcium. The electrolytes provide inorganic chemicals for cellular reactions and they are necessary for operation of some of the cellular control mechanisms. For instance, electrolytes acting or cell membrane allow transmission of electrochemical impulses in nerve and muscle fibers, and the intra-cellular electrolytes determine the activity of different enzymatically catalyze reactions that are necessary for cellular metabolism.

(iii) Proteins
Next to water the most abundant substance in most cells is proteins, which normally constitute 10 to 20% of the cell mass. These can be divided into two different types:

(1) Structural proteins
(2) Globular proteins.

(1) Structural proteins:
To get an idea of what is meant by structural proteins, one needs to note that leather is composed principally of structural proteins and that hair is almost entirely a structural protein. Proteins of this type are present in the cell in the form of long time filaments that themselves are polymers of many protein molecules. The most prominent use of such intracellular filament is to provide the contractile mechanism of all muscles.

(2) Globular proteins:
The globular proteins on the other hand, are an entirely different type of proteins, composed usually of individual protein molecules or at most aggregates of a few molecules in a globular form rather than in a fibrillar form. These proteins are mainly the enzymes of the cell and in contrast to the fibrillar proteins, are often soluble in the fluid of the cell or are integral parts of or adherent to memberanous structures inside the cell and catalyze chemical reactions. For instance, the chemical reactions that split glucose into its component parts and then combine these with oxygen to form carbon-di-oxide and water, while at the same time providing energy for cellular function, are catalyzed by a series of protein enzymes.

(iv) Lipids (fats)
Lipids are several different types of substances that are grouped together because of their common property of being soluble in fat solvents. The most important lipids in most cells are phospholipids and cholesterol, which constitute to about 2 percent of the total cell of mass. The special importance of phospholipids and cholesterol is that they are mainly insoluble in water and therefore are used to form membranous barriers that separate the different intracellular components.

In addition to the phospholips and cholesterol, some cells contain large quantities of triglycerides, also called neutral fat. In the so called fat cells, triglycerides often account for as much as 95 percent of the cell mass. The fat stored in these cells represents the body's main store house of energy giving nutrient that can later be dissoluted and used for energy where even in the body it is needed.

(v) Carbohydrates
In general, carbohydrates have very little structural function in the cell except as part of glycoprotein molecules, but they play a major role in nutrition of the cell. Most human cells do not maintain large stores of carbohydrates, usually averaging about 1% of their total mass. However, carbohydrate in the form of glucose, is always present in the surrounding extra cellular fluid so that it is readily available.^[126]