Guanine

A larger than normal cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat in the Huntington’s disease gene creates an abnormal protein, which begins to kill brain cells. Over a period of time, physical and mental abilities gradually deteriorate, and there is currently no cure. Huntington’s chorea has been…

Ototoxicity may be defined as “damage to the structure and function of the inner ear (auditory, vestibular, or both) that results from exposure to toxins” (Campbell, 2007). Exposure to toxins is often the result of the administration of therapeutic agents or medications for the treatment of other primary diagnoses. These medications fall into several classes including: aminoglycoside antibiotics, antineoplastic drugs, other antibiotics, antimalarial drugs, loop diuretics, and salicylates. To…

degeneration of brain cells, called neurons, in motor control regions of the brain, as well as other areas (NINDS, 2016). Huntington’s disease is caused by a mutation in the gene for a protein called huntingtin. The defect causes the cytosine, adenine, and guanine (CAG) building blocks of DNA to repeat many more times than is normal (NINDS, 2016). Huntington’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that causes uncontrolled movements, emotional problems, and loss of thinking ability. Each child…

The name “GATTACA” is composed entirely of the letters found in the biological macromolecule DNA. DNA is made up of four letters: G (Guanine), A (Adenine), T (Thymine), and C (Cytosine). The letters are arranged in the molecule in a very specific way, with A only reacting with T (and vice versa) and G only reacting with C (and vice versa). The biological structure in Jerome’s apartment resembles a DNA strand, also known as a double helix. The components that make up the “steps” would be the…

germ gene line therapy is a process of transferring the DNA into the reproductive cells in the body such as an egg or a sperm cell. DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid which is double helix code which consists of nitrogenous bases such as adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. These nitrogenous bases account for the genome code of A,T,G, and C. The nitrogenous base provides a specific sequence unique to each individual inherited from parents’ genetics. This DNA transferring involves in vitro…

Reliability: This source was extremely reliable as it was developed and published by encyclopedia Britannica who are highly credited for their well written and professionally polished articles. They authors are extremely knowledgeable and experienced on the subject which therefore makes this a reliable source. Bias: This article is mainly background information on DNA and how DNA fingerprinting works. It gives the scientific reasoning and techniques used throughout the process. It begins to…

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…

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is identified as the leading monogenic cause of autism and congenital mental retardation. It is estimated that the frequency of FXS is 1/7000 males and 1/11,000 women (Hunter et al., 2014). In Australia, since one child is born with Fragile X every week, around 1 in 3600 boys and in 4000 – 6000 girls suffers this syndrome with the higher severity in boys. Position of the causative gene for FXS named fragile X mental retardation gene 1 (FMR1) was found at the diagnostic…

Today in the 21st century our gene technology is continually developing. New projects and discoveries are being made on a daily basis. Gene technology provides humans the opportunity to improve human and animal health, to create a safer and more sustainable food resources, and generate fortune for Australia. Gene technology is “where the genetic material of living things is deliberately altered to enhance or remove a particular trait and allow the organism to perform new functions” (Environment…

carry various instructions. Inside of our DNA, there is a unique chemical code, which determines our growth, development, and health. This specific code is derived by four nucleotide bases that conform the DNA. These are called, adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine and are often represented as A, C, G, and T. In 1990, the Human Genome Project was conducted by the National Institutes of Health, and the US Department of Energy. This project allowed the understanding of the human genome…