DNA Profiling of Alu Sequences and Application of Hardy-Weinberg in the Class Population
Introduction
Genetic diversity remains a very interesting topic to study due to the vast amount of DNA base pairs that make up the human genome. Within the genome, there are specific SINES (short interspersed elements) that illustrate distinct characteristics in the human population. One such sequence, the Alu element, can be used to show relatedness amongst different mammalian species. One insert, the Y Alu polymorphism, is prevalent in African American populations and absent from other populations illustrating the importance of these sequences(Spurdle, 1994). Alu inserts can also be linked to diseases if they are present within the introns associated with the affliction. They mostly serve as genetic markers that segregate with diseases, but can also disrupt DNA sequences and lead to genetic disorders.
A cheek cell swab is one way of acquiring cells that can be tested for the Alu sequences. Also known as the buccal swab, the test serves as a non-invasive way of …show more content…
Hardy-Weinberg principles are used to express an ideal distribution of genotypes within a population as long as there is no mutation, no natural selection, the population is infinitely large, all mating is completely random, and there is no migration in or out of the population. In this experiment, the Hardy Weinberg equation will be applied to the class Alu genotype results to determine if the class population is in equilibrium. Cheek cell swabbing, PCR, and gel electrophoresis will all be done in order to find out if the student is homozygous dominant, heterozygous, or homozygous recessive for the Alu insert. The results from all of the individual tests done in the class will not be indicative of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium due to the fact that that the class has a small sample
Introduction
Genetic diversity remains a very interesting topic to study due to the vast amount of DNA base pairs that make up the human genome. Within the genome, there are specific SINES (short interspersed elements) that illustrate distinct characteristics in the human population. One such sequence, the Alu element, can be used to show relatedness amongst different mammalian species. One insert, the Y Alu polymorphism, is prevalent in African American populations and absent from other populations illustrating the importance of these sequences(Spurdle, 1994). Alu inserts can also be linked to diseases if they are present within the introns associated with the affliction. They mostly serve as genetic markers that segregate with diseases, but can also disrupt DNA sequences and lead to genetic disorders.
A cheek cell swab is one way of acquiring cells that can be tested for the Alu sequences. Also known as the buccal swab, the test serves as a non-invasive way of …show more content…
Hardy-Weinberg principles are used to express an ideal distribution of genotypes within a population as long as there is no mutation, no natural selection, the population is infinitely large, all mating is completely random, and there is no migration in or out of the population. In this experiment, the Hardy Weinberg equation will be applied to the class Alu genotype results to determine if the class population is in equilibrium. Cheek cell swabbing, PCR, and gel electrophoresis will all be done in order to find out if the student is homozygous dominant, heterozygous, or homozygous recessive for the Alu insert. The results from all of the individual tests done in the class will not be indicative of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium due to the fact that that the class has a small sample