title: Attributing functions to genes and gene products.
abstract: A major focus of modern biochemical, biophysical and cell biological research is the attribution of function to elements of structure: gene products, genes and higher-order cellular structures. Misunderstandings and controversies can arise in connection with such assignments, in part because of the logical complexity inherent in the relating of structure to function and the failure to distinguish clearly among the different senses in which function can be imputed to elements of structure. I explore distinct ways in which functions are connected to structures and factors that contribute to the context-dependence of such associations so that the multiple senses of function can be made explicit.
authors.affiliation: Wolstein Research Building, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-7288, USA. neil.greenspan@case.edu
authors.forename: Neil S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Greenspan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005796:Genes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins