Genome Evolution
Did you know that the Tasmanian Devil’s genome is rapidly evolving to resist a deadly disease that has killed eighty percent of their population since 1996? To most people that means little to nothing, because most people don’t know what a genome is let alone the process in which it takes to evolve or for Scientists to discover the evolution. In the following paragraphs we will discuss what genome evolution is, how genomes are able to be compared and how the size can contribute in to that, the gene functions and expressions, applying comparative genomes and the evolution within genomes. So what is a genome? A genome is the complete DNA sequence of an organism. The Genome is a compilation of the stored DNA in genes on the …show more content…
The DFTD was originally diagnosed in 1996, and since there has been a seventy percent decrease in the devils population. The oldest strand of the tumor cell contains thirteen chromosomes, nine are recognizable and four of which are mutated "markers". When Pearse first examined the cancer cells, she discovered that the chromosomes were mangled: One pair of chromosomes was missing entirely, one lacked a partner, one was chomped off, and some leftover bits were jammed together into extra chromosomes. This is not uncommon in general for cancer cells. The comparisons amongst all the sample cancer cells resulted in similarities that could only be described as that the cells were clones of one another. In later studies researchers found that the sex chromosomes were in similar shattered and jammed together formation with remaining chromosomes were always of the XX variety, which is for females regardless of the hosts actual gender. This is important because it confirms that the cancer cells weren’t simple mutations from a sickened devil, which is how cancer usually works, but that this cancer was contagious. These cells had obviously come from another devil completely, one that was undoubtedly a female and had most likely been dead for years. Her cells lived on by paratrophic or parasitic means. This news quickly spread to immunologist Kathy Belov, Ph.D., who hypothesized that the reason the devils vigorous immune system couldn’t identify the cancer cells as foreign could be that the devils were to inbreed. Having a low genetic diversity could make the genes of another devil appear to be the same, much like identical twins. In a study conducted by PSU, they searched in a tumor from a Tasmanian devil for mutated proteins that could be responsible for the uncontrolled multiplication of cells. PSU found
Did you know that the Tasmanian Devil’s genome is rapidly evolving to resist a deadly disease that has killed eighty percent of their population since 1996? To most people that means little to nothing, because most people don’t know what a genome is let alone the process in which it takes to evolve or for Scientists to discover the evolution. In the following paragraphs we will discuss what genome evolution is, how genomes are able to be compared and how the size can contribute in to that, the gene functions and expressions, applying comparative genomes and the evolution within genomes. So what is a genome? A genome is the complete DNA sequence of an organism. The Genome is a compilation of the stored DNA in genes on the …show more content…
The DFTD was originally diagnosed in 1996, and since there has been a seventy percent decrease in the devils population. The oldest strand of the tumor cell contains thirteen chromosomes, nine are recognizable and four of which are mutated "markers". When Pearse first examined the cancer cells, she discovered that the chromosomes were mangled: One pair of chromosomes was missing entirely, one lacked a partner, one was chomped off, and some leftover bits were jammed together into extra chromosomes. This is not uncommon in general for cancer cells. The comparisons amongst all the sample cancer cells resulted in similarities that could only be described as that the cells were clones of one another. In later studies researchers found that the sex chromosomes were in similar shattered and jammed together formation with remaining chromosomes were always of the XX variety, which is for females regardless of the hosts actual gender. This is important because it confirms that the cancer cells weren’t simple mutations from a sickened devil, which is how cancer usually works, but that this cancer was contagious. These cells had obviously come from another devil completely, one that was undoubtedly a female and had most likely been dead for years. Her cells lived on by paratrophic or parasitic means. This news quickly spread to immunologist Kathy Belov, Ph.D., who hypothesized that the reason the devils vigorous immune system couldn’t identify the cancer cells as foreign could be that the devils were to inbreed. Having a low genetic diversity could make the genes of another devil appear to be the same, much like identical twins. In a study conducted by PSU, they searched in a tumor from a Tasmanian devil for mutated proteins that could be responsible for the uncontrolled multiplication of cells. PSU found