Current notions of genotype and phenotype vis-à-vis new experimental evidence in molecular biology. A methodological study instigated by the peculiar nature of the HIV-1.
The strict separation of the biological roles of information and function as if they were two mutually exclusive aspects and the absolute identification of the former with nucleic acids and the latter with coded protein machinery has biased biological thinking to the extent that these notions act as very principles in contemporary biology. However, recent discoveries within the realm of RNA-viruses show the traditional application of such notions to be severely limited in conceptual terms.
Torres
J M
JM
Centro de Lógica y Filosofía de la Ciencia, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005821:Genetic Techniques; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000235:genetics
D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral