What Is A Gene - 1446 Words

What is a gene? The word Gene derives from the Greek â€Å"genesis† (birth) or â€Å"genos† (origin) and was first coined by Wilhelm Johannsen in 1909. At that time, little or nothing was known about the existence of DNA, and the word gene was used to describe the Mendelian concept of a phenotypical trait that is transmitted through inheritance (Johansen, 1909). The gene as the fundamental unit of heredity is the original meaning of the word as first geneticists intended it. This essentially explains the reason why, during last century, a burst of research occurred in the genetic field: it was carried out in order to discover the genes responsible for the most various traits, from the ones causing diseases to the ones responsible for genetic variation across populations. In fact, the scientific community was convinced that genes retained all the crucial information necessary for organisms’ generation, growth, survival and reproduction (Sarkar, 1998). One of the fundamental discoveries of the 20th century was that DNA was the genetic code’s physical structure (Watson Crick, 1953) and, since then, many studies have disclosed the complicated pattern of regulation and expression of genes, which involve RNA synthesis and its subsequent translation into proteins. Nowadays, if we define genes from a physical/molecular point of view, we usually consider them as a specific sequence of DNA (and its control region), which is inheritable and codes for a product (Protein or RNA) that has aShow MoreRelatedWhat Are Genes And Genes?910 Words   |  4 Pages1. What are Traits? All human beings are unique from one and another, each complex organism has certain traits that can be seen some harder than others. Some traits that are easier to see such as hair and eye color, the other ones that are harder to see are vocal talents, Asthma, and disease risk. Traits can be created through the environment or through genes. The environment can change traits such as the things we enjoy or the sounds that we create, like language, the language we speak is consideredRead MoreWhat Is The Gene Of The CALLAR ) Gene?730 Words   |  3 PagesThe phylogeny shows the relationship of different CASP genes that code for different Caspase proteins in different eukaryotic organisms. This tree was created using CFLAR as the outgroup; (Dereeper, 2008). CFLAR is naturally the most distantly related gene to the others, however CFLAR is in fact quite similar to CASP8. The proteins they both produce are structurally similar, for instance they both have DED domains; (Stennicke Salvesen , 2000; Watt et al., 1999). Conversely, the protein CFLAR encodesRead MoreWhat Makes A Gene?1512 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is a gene? The definition of what constitutes a gene has developed throughout history in light of new research and information. In generic terms, a gene is part of a living organism having influence on observable and non-observable characteristics by transfer of genetic information from parent to offspring. The structure of a gene is widely accepted as a sequence of nucleotides consisting of four bases Adenine, Cytosine, Thymine and Guanine. Three bases together determine an amino acid andRead MoreWhat Is Gene Therapy?832 Words   |  3 PagesWhat is gene therapy? It is known as an experimental technique which makes use of genes in order to help treat or prevent diseases. This is done when a doctor is able to insert a modified gene into a patient instead of having to make use of drugs and surgery. Several approaches to gene therapy have been tested such as: †¢ Replacing a mutated gene that causes illness or disease with a healthy copy. †¢ Taking a gene that functions improperly and making it inactive. †¢ Introducing a new gene into the bodyRead MoreWhat Is The Gene Used In The Production Of The Rnai Gene?746 Words   |  3 PagesBoth the human and the fly ADCK3 gene will be codon optimized by gene script so that the RNAi gene does not recognize them as a target. Each gene will be inserted into a pUASTattB plasmid which can then be microinjection into drosophila yellow eyed embryos where the  Ãâ€ C31-based integration system will insert the plasmid into one of the drosophila’s chromosomes. Selecting for transformants will be done by observing eye color as the pUASTattB plasmid encodes a gene required for white eye pigmentationRead MoreWhat Are The Basics Of Gene Expression?1811 Words   |  8 Pagesthe presentation consisted of: why to study microbes? , What are the basics of gene expression? , What’s special about riboswitches? The major hypotheses that were explored during the presentation were â€Å"S box† represses genes involved in the synthesis of methionine and SAM in response to the high SAM concentration; and the low SAM results in the readthrough of the termination site. Also â€Å"How can gene expression be regulated† and under what conditions/processes the bacterial cells could use to detectRead MoreWhat Is The Effect Of The Genetic Adaptation Of Genes?1301 Words   |  6 Pagesgenetic mutations of TDP-43 (Dekker et al., 2016; Hayashi et al. 2016). However, approximately 97% of ALS and 45% of FTLD patients have misfolded TDP-43 aggregates absent of mutation (Bozzo et al., 2016). This confirms that a mutation in the TDP-43 gene is not necessary for the generation of TDP-43 aggregates. SOD1, TARDBP, FUS and C9ORF72 were identified in approximately 7% of sporadic ALS patients with C9ORF72 being the most frequent (Dekker et al., 2016). Studies have indicated that mutant TDP-43’sRead MoreWhat Is Myelin Gene Regulatory Factor ( MRF )?1636 Words   |  7 Pagesit has been demonstrated by DNA microarray anal ysis that myelin gene regulatory factor (MRF) expression is specific to terminally differentiated oligodendrocytes (Cahoy et al., 2008; Heiman et al., 2008). Importantly, knockdown of MRF in oligodendrocytes by RNA interference downregulates expression of the majority CNS myelin genes (Emery et al., 2009). In contrast, overexpression of MRF in in vitro cultured OPCs can promote myelin gene expression. Oligodendrocyte lineage-specific MRF knockout miceRead MoreWhat Is The Inactivation Mechanism Of Tumor Suppressor Genes?869 Words   |  4 PagesInactivation Mechanism of Tumor Suppressor Genes Tumor suppressor genes encode proteins, inhibiting excessive cell proliferation and division, through protein inhibitors for cell cycle progression or promoting differentiation and apoptosis via proteins that involved in induction of apoptosis. Mutations that cause inactivation or loss of function in these tumor suppressor genes, result in inactivation of P53, pRb, PTEN, NF1/NF2. The mutations can be deletion or insertion, nonsense or missense mutationsRead MoreWhat Is Mutation? What Is a Gene Mutation? Discuss Sickle Cell Anemia (Its Cause, Effect, and Treatment) B) What Are Mutagens and Their Effects? C) What Is Genetic Counseling? Discuss the Advantages and Disadvantages of This Procedure.873 Words   |  4 PagesA mutation can simply be put as abrupt change in the genotype of an organism that is not the result of recombination. A gene mutation is a permanent change in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene. Mutations range in size from a single DNA building block (DNA base) to a large segment of a chromosome. Gene mutations occur in two ways: they can be inherited from a parent or acquired during a persons lifetime. Mutations that are passed from parent to child are called hereditary mutations or germ