Time Scales of Cellular Processes

[waveicle]

So I just got done with a very long argument with my MCDB friend about the timescales of cellular processes. My question is two-part. Firstly (the question that's kept me busy for the last hour), if all the DNA in your body were to vanish, your nuclei simply became empty of it, how long would it be before you felt/noticed any effects? Or would you die instantly, with no ability to think or anything? What would those effects be, and what would go wrong first?

The second part of my question is how long does something like RNA synthesis take? Surely it takes a while for the random walks of the molecules involved to end them up in the right place, or is it really fast?

Sorry for the long question. Even a partial response would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

[jonmoulton]

Here's information on transcription time for the longest gene in the human genome.

http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v9/n2/ ... 5-184.html

Nature Genetics 9, 184 - 190 (1995)

The human dystrophin gene requires 16 hours to be transcribed and is cotranscriptionally spliced

Christine N. Tennyson1, 2, Henry J. Klamut1 & Ronald G. Worton1, 2

1Department of Genetics and Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada

2Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada