Gene duplication

Introduction Tafazzin, encoded by the nuclear gene TAZ is primarily found in the inner mitochondrial membrane, where it plays an important role in cardiolipin (CL) remodeling (Xu et al. 2006). Tafazzin shares amino acid sequence homology to acyl transferases (Vreken et al. 2000). TAZ is located on chromosome Xq28 and comprises 11 exons and 2 alternative translation initiation sites (Johnston et al. 1997). Among four major transcripts: TAZ-FL (full-length), TAZ-Δ5 (lacking exon 5), TAZ- Δ7…

Saibhuvaneswari RA1611014010048 JUMPING GENES Transposable elements (TEs), also known as "jumping genes" or transposons, are sequences of DNA that move (or jump) from one location in the genome to another. A transposable element (TE or transposon) is a DNA sequence that can change its position within a genome, sometimes creating or reversing mutations and altering the cell's genetic identity and genome size. Transposition often results in duplication of the TE. The transposable elements make…

its function in storing the genetic information of the organism (Rafael, 2010). This molecule contains genes which encode proteins needed for the complex biochemical metabolic reactions which occur within the organism (Rafael, 2010). The DNA molecule consists of 2 complementary strands in a helical structure where each strand serves as an informational template for the offspring during duplication (Rafael, 2010). An organism is made up of a vast collection of cells where each cell originates…

Chapter 5 Dispute: Humans and Sharks both have four gill arches as embryos, but the germ layers and arches develop into unrelated structure in each organism My Dispute Statement: Both sharks and humans develop gill arches when enveloped in the embryo, with the arches creating very similar structures and functions in both. In humans during conception, 4 swellings appear on the throat area. These swellings called arches develop to create many of the structures and functions inside the head.…

Ricki Lewis’s The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It tells the tale of gene therapy’s rocky road from a wild idea people considered to be a “daydream” to a growing field providing lucky individuals with treatment to prevent their life-shattering genetic diseases. In her novel, Lewis discusses two major biological concepts: mutation and gene expression. To give the reader the molecular basis for genetic disorders, mutation is briefly addressed. Lewis gives two different examples…

Mutation in the silencing gene SIR4 can delay aging in S. cerevisiae Gene mutations that affect silencing at HM loci, telomeres and other regions of the chromosome have been shown to relate to stress resistance and aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. S. cerevisiae is a species of yeast in which goes through asymmetrical cellular division. Its lifespan is measured by the number of cellular divisions the mother cell is able to complete before death. In the research study by Kennedy et al, the…

The Evolution of Genetic Modification The conventional genetic alteration of the makeup of plants has been occurring for millennia; harvesting the seeds from the best crops and planting them years down the line; breeding and crossbreeding certain genes to make foods grow bigger and give them a sweeter taste. Through this intuitive process, humans have managed to transform the small, wild tomato into a number of different varieties: from big to small, beefsteak to grape, revolutionizing the food…

The possible prevention of a disease or enhancing a trait is not worth potentially harming or ruining your child’s life. Around 95% of all gene therapy process results in failures, including disorders, gene mutations or even death (Bohlin). In other words, there is a less than 5% chance that the child will receive the positive, intended results. With these success rates it’s important to ask if it’s worth the chance of doing permanent damage to a child who didn’t even have a say in this process.…

Engineering was intended only to modify the genetic makeup of someone or something. (“What Is Genetic Engineering?”). But it is believed that one day the overuse of genetic engineering can lead to a serious epidemic. The controversy of modifying a gene…

Gene Therapy and Genetic Engineering in Human Beings We, as human beings, all start off the same way. A lucky sperm meets an egg and forms the beginning of a whole new life. From that very moment it is predetermined in our DNA that we will have a certain color of hair, be of a certain height, and what color that our eyes will be. Then, approximately nine months later we are welcomed into the world carrying with us every trait that our DNA tells us to have. People will come in to see the miracle…