DNA Sequence Comparisons Analysis

For the results of Abby there was a 97% similarity. There was one base change because there was a change between the A and the T because it should have been a GAG and instead the results was a GTG. This process is called point mutation. I don't think that she has a disease because most of her DNA was the same.

For the results of Bob there was a 97% similarity. There was not enough protein produced once it reached the STOP signal. He has a disease. This process is called truncation mutation.

For the results of Carol there was a 58% similarity. In the frame, she was only missing the T. So, only one changed out of the sequence. She has a disease. This process is called Frame Shift mutation.

DNA Lab



This is what the formation started to look like in the tube.

This is what DNA looks like from the results of the lab.



      DNA Is totally amazing!!! Well to start with, DNA is a polymer. The monomer units of DNA are called nucleotides. The polymer is called a polynucleotide. Each nucleotide consists of a 5-carbon sugar, a nitrogen containing a base that is attached to the sugar, and a phosphate group. There are four different types of nucleotides that are found in DNA which are A, G, C, and T. A is for adenine, G is for guanine, C is for cytosine, and T is for thymine. In purine bases which are adenine and guanine there are nine atoms that make up the fused rings, and all of the ring atoms lie in the same plane.

The lab that we did in class was DNA Extraction from Wheat Germ. The wheat germ soup looked like a watery brown color to begin with. Then the appearance changed as my group added detergent and swirl into it. It turned to a lime green color with brown speks. At this step it is getting into the process of creating DNA. The appearance of the mixture after the alcohol was added, was that there was five different layers and now it has created DNA. At this step DNA has been created because of the formation it has went through. At the water-alcohol interface it didn't mix and it was staying separated. At the end of this lab the DNA looked like a white clump, like a spider web. In Conclusion, I learned about the formation of DNA by doing this neat lab.

From DNA to Proteins Vocabulary Words

Anticodon - A sequence of three nucleotides in transfer RNA that binds to the complementary triplet in messenger RNA to specify an amino acid during protein synthesis.

Codon - A sequence of three adjacent nucleotides, which encode for a specific amino acid during protein synthesis, or translation.

Exon -A sequence of a gene's DNA that transcribes into protein structures.

Genetic Code -The ordering of nucleotides in DNA molecules that carries the genetic information in   living cells.

Intron - A sequence of a eukaryotic gene's DNA that is not translated into a protein.

Messenger RNA -The template for protein synthesis; the form of RNA that carries information from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosome sites of protein synthesis in the cell.

Promoter - A region of DNA that facilitates the transcription of a particular gene.

Protein-coding Gene -Consists of a promoter that is followed by the coding sequence for the protein and then a terminator.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) -A nucleic acid molecule that is similar to DNA, but it contains ribose rather than deoxyribose.

RNA polymerase - An enzyme that produces RNA.

Ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) -Is the central component of the ribosome, the protein manufacturing machinery of all living cells.

Transcription -Or RNA synthesis. It is the process of creating an equivalent RNA copy of a sequence of DNA.

Translation -The process whereby genetic information coded in messenger RNA directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome in the cytoplasm.

Transfer RNA (tRNA) -A relatively small RNA that transfers a particular amino acid to a growing polypeptide chain at the ribosomal site of protein synthesis during translation.

In Sickness and in Health Genetic Counseling

The pedigree for Greg's Family 




This is an example of an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern.

 



The Pedigree for Olga's Family

        Many people wonder well could our kids develop the same diseases that run in our family? Greg and Olga were wondering the same thing. Well it's all genetics!!! For the Sickness and Health Genetic Counseling Greg and Olga went to the genetic's counselor because they were worried about having kids because they were concerned whether or not their kids will have myotonic dystrophy or factor VIII. Autosomal dominant disorders don't skip generations. So, Greg and his mother couldn't be factors of the gene that causes myotonic dystrophy. There is not a possibility that Greg's aunt or uncle could be homozygous for the myotonic dystrophy because they only got one copy. So, they are both heterozygous. There is not a possibility that Greg's cousin has inherited the myotonic dystrophy gene. Greg and Olga's children won't have myotonic dystrophy because Greg doesn't have the disease. The five hallmarks of autosomal recessive traits are females and males are equally likely to be affected, on average, the recurrence risk to the unborn sibling of an affected individual is one out of four, the trait is characteristically found in siblings, not parents of affected or the offspring of affected, and parents of affected children may be related. Autosomal recessive traits do skip generations.

      The rarer the trait in the general population, the more likely a consanguineous mating is involved, and the trait can appear as an isolated event in small sibships. Consaguinity is when there is a possibility of one parent being a carrier, with the recessive allele being passed through the carrier offspring and by producing an affected homozygous offspring generations later on. This is important when relating to autosomal recessive inheritance because in order for a child to be a carrier of a disease they must receive a recessive allele from both of his or her parents. The inheritance pattern of the factor VIII deficiency that is recognized in Olga's and Greg's pedigree shows that it is not an autosomal recessive trait because it is a sex-linked trait, because only guys get it. Greg's brother had it and Olga's brother had this disease. Some of the characteristics of X-linked recessive inheritance is that the disease is never passed from father to son, and this trait or disease is usually passed from an affected grandfather, through his carrier daughters, to half of his grandsons.  A son never inherits their father's defective X-chromosome, because they only inherit their father's Y-chromosome. When the mother is a carrier she will pass the affected X-chromosme to her son only one half of the time, and her daughters will not be affected because they always get a normal X-chromosome from their father.

                               

     There isn't a possibility that Greg carries the factor VIII gene, but if he did he couldn't be a carrier. There is a possibilty that Olga carriers the factor VIII gene, but it depends upon which of her mother's X chromosomes she inherited. So, her sons would be affected one half of the time but her daughters would not be affected. Olga has a one in twenty three chance of carrying the cystic fibrosis gene. Since, Greg is Asian American and within his population group the carrier frequency is 1 out of 180.  So, the possibility of producing a baby with cystic fibrosis would be 1 out of 16,560. So there chances are very slim of having a kid with that disease. The equation P+q=1 describes all of the alleles in the population. The percentage of the healthy people represents the p. The rest of the alleles must have the disease causing form which represents the q. If p is .65, then q is the other alleles that must be the disease causing form which is .35. Then, p+q=1. In all, I understand about the characteristics of autosomal dominant traits, autosomal recessive traits, and sex-linked traits.



The link to my paper about Eugenics

This is a link to my paper about Eugenics

Source: http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/ - That is where I got my Information from.

Wonderful Genetics!!

This is a picture representing homozygous and heterozygous genes given off by the mom fish and the dad fish and the different gametes that are possible.

  













    
   The Idea of genetics is amazing!!! There is so many things that you can think of when you think about genetics. In class we have been learning about genetics, and we did a baby lab to represent the outcome of what you and yours partner's baby would look like. There are many different terms that is involved with genetics. When someone is Homozygous they have two of the same copies of a gene. For example, AA and HH. When someone is Heterozygous, it is the complete opposite they have two different copies. For example, Aa and Ff. Gametes are reproductive cells that have haploid chromosomes. A dominant trait is a trait that shows up in the offspring if one of the parents contributes it. A recessive gene is hidden, it has identical alleles for a single trait.  A gene is DNA region for one trait. An allele is a form of a certain gene. Phenotypes are visible traits, it's what the baby is going to look like. Genotypes are the genes that are present. A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein that is found in cells. The difference between a diploid and a haploid is that a diploid are two copies of each chromosome and a haploid is one copy of each chromosome. In meiosis when mom and dad's chromosomes are separated this is called segregation. If a mom is homozygous for free earlobes and marries a man who doesn't have free earlobes,what are the possible genotypes and phenotypes of their children? Well, the genotypes would be Ff, and ff. The phenotypes would be free earlobes and not free earlobes.

Independent Assortment is when there are as many combinations as possible. According to Mendel's second law alleles of two or more different gene pairs inherit two different alleles. They assort independently of each other during meiosis. A random combination of the genes from each pair end up in the gametes. For example, Ss and Yy assort independently because when the S and s alleles segregate from each other during meiosis, each one is most likely to land in the same gamete with the big Y allele and with the little y allele. The reason why idependent assortment occurs is because there are many ways that chromosomes are placed in metaphase one of meiosis. Two genes must reside on different chromosomes or on the same chromosome in order to assort independently. They must be located far apart from each other along the chromosomes arms. Genetics is involved everywhere in our world, and it plays a major role. It determines what you look like, like if you get more traits from your mom or dad. Sometimes, you can look more like family members in your family's history from generations ago. I have a good understanding about genetics, and how we get the traits that we do.

Meiosis/Reproduction

This is a diagram of meiosis. 



The division of meiosis. 



























Meiosis is the type of cell division by which eggs and sperm are produced. In meiosis I, the chromosomes in a diploid cell resegregate, which produces four haploid daughter cells.  This step in meiosis generates genetic diversity. It occurs in humans, fungi, plants, and animals. Each human cell contains a full set of 46 chromosomes. When meiosis begins, each chromosome is attracted to its special homologous partner. The two number one chromosomes; one from the paternal set and one from the maternal set, wrap tightly with each other in a process called synapsis. Then, a tetrad of four chromosomes is created. Each homologous pair forms its own tetrad, which happens with the other chromosomes. All of the tetrads arrange themselves on the spindle. The chromosomes are pulled apart, and divisions happen. The four chromosomes are separated into two's and then into ones of each tetrad. 


Meiosis II is very similar to mitosis. However, there is no S phase. The chromatids of each chromosome are no longer identical because of recombination. Meiosis II separates the chromatids producing two daughter cells, each with 23 chromosomes and each chromosome has only one chromatid. Homologous chromosomes pair forming bivalents until anaphase I in chromosome behavior. In genetic identity of progeny during meiosis the chromatids are not identical. The daughter cells have a new assortment of parental chromosomes. Meiosis can only happen if the nucleus contains an even number of chromosomes. 


In class we watched the movie Life's Greatest Miracle in which it was about the long processes it takes to have a baby. It was interesting to learn about how a baby is formed by how the process has to be done  right on time. In which, there has to be enough sperm that is developed and the egg can't die. But, the process of having a baby is all about meiosis. This movie really taught me a lot of information about how meiosis is very important, it was gross though watching the live birth of a baby. Meiosis produces different sperm and egg.  In conclusion, I understand about the processes of meiosis and how it is different from mitosis.