Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Laminin

Have you ever heard of Laminin?


 
The image above is a diagram of what Laminin looks like.  Laminin is a type of protein that essentially holds us and animals together (in very laymen terms).  Christians are making the connection of the cross shape of Laminin with Jesus Christ who HOLDS all things together. 

Colossians 1:15-17 states, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth , visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;
all things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things HOLD TOGETHER. "


Truth or Fiction, a website that investigates eRumors finds the information circulating around the Internet to be true.  The following comes from their website:


Laminin, an Important Protein that Looks Like a Cross-Truth!
Summary of the eRumor:
The eRumor talks of a substance called "laminin" that is described as part of a family of proteins that "hold us together."  Then there is a picture of laminin---which looks like a cross.

The Truth:
This story leads into complex considerations of science and biology but the main questions it prompts are whether laminin is as important as the eRumor claims and does it have a shape like a cross.

The simple answer to both questions seems to be yes. 

Laminin is defined by the Webster Medical Dictionary as a "glycoprotein that is a component of connective tissue basement membrane and that promotes cell adhesion."  In other words, looking at laminin as a kind of glue isn't far from the truth.  There are several different laminins.

In their book The Laminins authors Peter Elkblom and Rupert Timpl go into more detail about both the importance of laminins and their structure.  They describe laminins that, together with other proteins, "hold cells and tissues together."   They also say, "Electron microscopy reveals a cross-like shape for all laminins investigated so far."  They went on to say that in solution the laminin shapes were more like a flower than a cross.  The strands of laminins do not always stand straight and at right angles, but they do consists of arms, three of which are short and one of which is long.

Research has been conducted on laminins in connection with numerous conditions and diseases.  It has been found, for example, that people with congenital muscular dystrophies do not have  laminin-alpha2, which is normally found in the layer of cells around muscle fibers and other cells important to the structural integrity of muscle cells.
An example of a blogger mentioning Laminin in the Christian context can be found in the blog, Lord of the Idiots!

42 comments:

  1. That is AMAZING! I found your site by a google search. I was watching Louie Giglio's How Great Is Our God and had to search to see it myself! Thanks for posting this. It's awesomeness :)

    Blessings,
    Mel
    Please feel free to stop by: Trailing After God

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  2. I am a scientist and a Christian - my major focus is cancer. My colleague is interested in the role of laminin in cancer progression (as before cells become cancerous they lose the ability to "adhere" i.e. stay attached - that is why they can migrate and form a metastasis!). Funny enough, he is an atheist! I should be sharing this beautiful truth with him! Thank you for your post.

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  3. There is no question that God and Science can be separated for He indeed created all things! S Rivera

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  4. Correction. There is no question that God and Science CANNOT be separated for He indeed created all things! S Rivera

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  5. The modern day scientific enterprise was actually birthed out of Christian cradle.

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  6. I'm a medical student & I'm always amazed at how the body is designed. Everything is made for a purpose, so there is NO WAY humans could have been formed by coincidence or chance. it took wisdom & great intelligence to design a human being, even to the smallest detail. And only God could have done that, not mother nature (whoever that is!).

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  7. Thanks for sharing anonymous medical student. Romans 1:18-22. I think Scripture makes it pretty clear, and those who deny a creator from what has been created still fall into the same trap as they did in ancient days - they exchange immortal God for images made to look at mortal men and birds and animals and reptiles. Naturalists have exchanged the immortal god, for "mother nature". They're exchanging the creator for the created, and they are putting humanity at the top as god. Same old song and dance, just under a different name today - humanism, Darwinism, naturalism, postmodernism, pluralism, etc.

    From the created from creation, we must then show who that God is, the God revealed in the Bible.

    Thanks for your comments. It's great to hear a student weigh-in from your field of study.

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  8. I also saw this on Louie Giglio's show... This is truly amazing. OC Apologist, thank you, I will look that up. :) This is really helping me along in my journey to Christ. :)

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  9. I also found it because I watched a video that Louis giglio is in :) it was amazing, especially this part. And the astronomy blew my mind, I'm so glad I watched it :)

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  10. And now: Poetry. By Gary.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2zDW9me-IY

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  11. Replies
    1. Ask any scientist this is no fairy tale and if Christ was was a fairy tale and God does not exist then the bible would not exist and the people in it wouldn't have existed the events in it would no have existed but scientists and historians have proof and record of these events and people even Rome the biggest empire to exist even knew this and in their beginning disbelief led them all to believe because the Romans themselves after the crucifixion and after Jesus rose again appearing to others lead the Romans instead create the Christian religion

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  12. Do not be deceived by the God of this world saying fairy tales - as was a certain rich man (Luke 16:19 -25) once you leave this physical realm you will no longer be able to make Jesus your Lord and Saviour - confess him as Lord now your eternity is at stake!!!!!!

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  13. i also watch Louie giglio's How great God is... and its truly amazing to found out that laminin that holds our cells together....is similar to the cross where Jesus Christ is died..... God is so great.....no things in this world that won't be revealed....

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  14. I am so blessed watching Louie giglio's how great is our God. yes it is truly the Cross that holds us together, we know when God created man He created in His own image/likeness and from the foundation of the earth God design us in such a way that sooner or later man will come to know that every Word that he spoke is true, but whoever denies invites the judgement of God.

    Moses Khruomo Nagaland

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  15. Nice! I never really thought about proteins, but yeah, even His creation testifies about His love!
    Simply awesome! :)

    God bless!

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  16. Awesome! so, of all the molecules that hold us and animals together Our lord Jesus Christ chose that one to look exactly like the holy cross! It must be very special! Does somebody know if it has something to do with our soul?

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  17. This is amazing and proof is in the pudding as they say - God is always with us. Amen to that.

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  18. My mom showed this to me (I'm14) I Think this is amazing I believe that our God is like no other and I trust him with my life and I pray that others shall come to know Christ and the wonders he has done

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