Chapter 39-2 Chemical Reactions

[Red Shirt]

and another thing..if the levels of keratin rise to high levels during the change...what happens to it after? if it goes back down, it must be being processed in some way? you cant explain away something like that via osmosis ...or whatever. perhaps that's something we should all explore. RED SHIRT! YOU HAVE AN ASSIGNMENT!

So increases in K-18 may not just be a by-product of the growth, but in an internal feedback loop help continue the growth of tissues in the body.

Holy mother of Mary - and some other guy... I don't remember. Biology class was so long ago... and I only took Bio-I in High School. This is some serious collegiate level Biology/BioChem action here. Sincere apologies to those of you who may read this who are Biologists and Biochemists by training and trade, but let me see if I can unpack this...

Let me start from the top down:
(Sections in italics are direct copy/paste quotes taken right from the wiki.)

• Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Cells that make up animals are metazoan cells and inside the cells is a:
• Cytoskeleton. "The cytoskeleton (also CSK) is a cellular scaffolding or skeleton contained within a cell's cytoplasm... It forms structures such as flagella, cilia and lamellipodia and plays important roles in both intracellular transport (the movement of vesicles and organelles, for example) and cellular division... The cytoskeleton provides the cell with structure and shape" The cytoskeleton is comprised of several things, including:
• Intermediate filaments. "Intermediate filaments (IFs) are cytoskeletal components found in metazoan cells." There are two types present, Type 1 and Type II. Type I is comprised of:
• Type I keratin. "Type I keratins (or Type I cytokeratins) constitutes the Type I intermediate filaments (IFs) of the intracytoplasmatic cytoskeleton, which is present in all mammalian epithelial cells. Most of the type I keratins consist of acidic, low molecular weight proteins." Among the Type I keratins is:
• Keratin 18. "Keratin 18 is a type I cytokeratin. It is, together with its filament partner keratin 8, perhaps the most commonly found products of the intermediate filament gene family. They are expressed in single layer epithelial tissues of the body." Epithelial tissues or;
• Epithelium, is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. Epithelial tissues line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body, and also form many glands. The primary functions of epithelial tissues are: (1) to protect the tissues that lie beneath it from radiation, desiccation, toxins, invasion by pathogens, and physical trauma; (2) the regulation and exchange of chemicals between the underlying tissues and a body cavity; (3) the secretion of hormones into the blood vascular system, and/or the secretion of sweat, mucus, enzymes, and other products that are delivered by ducts glandular epithelium; (4) to provide sensation.

You got it right, cupcakezombie. I was wrong about my initial assumptions. The K18 isn't a byproduct of the growth, it IS the growth. What ever it is that is causing the "zombification," it radically changes the structure of the human body right down to (at least) the sub cellular level:

• Body morphology, as seen with the differing forms of infected at the outset of the story.
• Glandular and hormonal, as seen with the salivating infected during the sweat jar experiment.
• Glandular with the salivary glands used to spread the infection...
• "Invasion by pathogens," changing the susceptibility of infection, possibly explaining the extreme speed at which the victims succumbed and a reason why the very thing that may have sparked the change, the Inglewood Haze, is also now toxic to them.
• Behavioral changes with altered adrenal glands and radically changed hormones... resulting in obscene animalistic rage, aggression and hunger.
• Body morphology also affected by hormones. Tanya states (I believe) "under developed" secondary sexual characteristics in a female specimen... I do believe that a side effect of increased testosterone in women, e.g.: women bodybuilders taking male HGH and/or testosterone, is breast tissue shrinks.

It is probably obvious with the existence of the special infected, but it bears saying that these things aren't just humans with a fever rage. For all appearances, these creatures seem to have been rebuilt at the cellular level into something new... they look mostly human-ish but they most certainly are NOT. Not anymore.

7oddisdead, back to your question, where does the K18 go? I see three possibilities, the first being that K18 as a cellular building block gets used up at the tail end of the "turning." Second, the blood gets processed by the kidneys and K18 and its byproducts are eliminated in urine. Third: at the core of it, K18 is protein which is also processed by the liver.

Now, I have heard stories of extreme body builders suffering liver failure. Protein toxicity can also cause kidney failure. We have also learned that K18 is (apparently) a testable marker for cancer. I'll bet that's what is killing the behemoths. Because they are so large, it is reasonable to assume that their K18 spike during turning was significantly higher which led to inevitable kidney & liver failure, cirrhosis and cancer.

Homework for Tanya: examine the pathology of the liver and get a urine sample(s) of a turner. Check the results for indicators of kidney failure.

Which leads into another theory, the one of Saul and Tanya's perceived "immunity." Just want to add this one to the stuff we are already throwing at the wall...
Since they now seem to be testing Z+, my previous Anthrax/Smallpox vaccine cocktail seems to have been falsified. Saul and Tanya might have a genetic disposition to develop cancer and due to that particular gene sequence mutation, it prevents the changes from occurring due to the connection that K18 has with cancer.

I always assumed the description of the stretch marks indicated very rapid growth of the body such that the skin couldn't keep up. I'd like to throw out there that it might also be HGH (human growth hormone) that was included in whatever "treatment" the big guys got to become behemoths. Steroids, HGH, or whatever - I think the behemoths were one of the evolutionary/intelligent design steps in the creation of the Little Ones (and anything that might be around after those guys....)

Don't forget the acne. Angel pointed that out too. I do believe that acne is also a side effect of steroid use as well as ordinary growth (hormonal changes of puberty). With what I mention above with the baseline of the physiological changes of "zombification," you have the possibility for radical hormonal changes coupled with the possibility of what is taking place in TOWTM's workshop of horrors with a drug/steroid/haze essence cocktail. My theories on that here and here.

Doom.. The Greatest Video Game Series of All Time.. Movie was ok but not what I would have thought a Doom movie should be..

Agreed. I was a little surprised by the direction they took with the 24th Chromosome... I was expecting the Jump Gate (to hell) that was probably inspired by Stephen King's "The Jaunt." Then again, Event Horizon kinda got the jump on them with the Hyperspace Is a Scary Place theme.

Does anyone remember Skittles warning about going to lab or doctor areas?

Yes, when he's educating Angel and Kalani about the different types of biters, he tells them to stay away from those kinds of areas because that's where the 'brains' (as he calls them) hang around. I don't think this was done out of any desire to keep them from uncovering any sort of conspiracy, rather Skittles just knew that the smart-biters were near impossible to escape from, and so wanted to forewarn them against going to any place where they might be.

I seem to recall he mentioned Libraries and Hospitals... or was more likely stated as the Book and Doctor places, then the "Brain Places."

Alright, time to hit send. I have more thoughts but that will have to wait until tomorrow night. On Halloween... dun dun DUN!