Page 226 - The Miracle of Protein

224 THE MIRACLE OF PROTEIN

Fox claimed that amino acids formed in the oceans and then were
dragged towards rocky areas close to volcanoes. However, amino
acids would not be able to withstand such high temperatures and
therefore, his ideas were rejected by the scientific circles.

Amino Acid Response System

Protein synthesis is a multi-phase process and that re-
quires a very strict control system. For instance, it is crucial that
a system exists to determine if the amino acid levels are drop-
ping, so that the production system can be triggered. This is
called the amino acid response system.
Dedicated sensor molecules in mammalian cells regulate

the amount of amino acids. Surely, this is an action that re-
quires consciousness. When the amino acids needed for the
cells decrease, these sensor cells called GCN2, stop the system
in the cell responsible for protein production. This way, amino
acids, limited in numbers in the cell, will not be wasted.