RNA interference

principle that nucleic acids, like DNA and RNA, are negatively charged. This means that if you put nucleic acids in an electric field, they will migrate away from the negative end of the field and toward the positive end. The nucleic acids are placed inside the gel for two main reasons. One, the gel is a way of holding them to know where they are. Two, the migration needs to occur in a manner that allows for the separation of different-sized pieces of DNA or RNA. The gel has many microscopic…

DNA is an important molecule for life. It is much like a manual telling the instructions of how bodies develop and function. DNA is the acronym for deoxyribonucleic acid. What is DNA made of? DNA is a molecule of nucleotides, such as adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. They are shown by their first letter: A- Adenine T- Thymine C- Cytosine G- Guanine The backbone that holds the nucleotides are called phosphate and deoxyribose. The nucleotides are known as bases. Human body has about 210…

increased gene expression level or gene function. DS presents altered pattern of DNA methylation in genes in two or three copies with functional differences in gene expression. Studies show trisomy 21 results in altered expression of microRNAs (noncoding RNA involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation, possibly result in abnormal expression of specific proteins and contribute to the DS phenotype. Phenotypes vary, but dysfiguration of physical features and ability to learn are observed in…

The objective of the first problem summary assignment was to compose an essay illustrating the impact of non-coding on gene expression, utilize primary articles to discuss the role of specific non-coding RNA molecules in the transcriptome, and examine the implications of current study on future research. In order to accomplish this, I analyzed and summarized the primary research article by Chen et al., which discussed the role of Malat1 in cellular proliferation and differentiation. Once I…

experiments on white blood cells showed that the nuclein dissolved in weak alkalies but not in water and acids. Later studies demonstrated that all living organisms have DNA and that any kinds of cell such as hair, skin, or plant cells all have DNA. Plenty of research and experimentation went into solving the structure of DNA and the invention of paper chromatography allowed Erwin Chargaff (1905-2002) to make a contribution in establishing the structure of DNA and how it transmitted genetic…

Linus Pauling was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry 1954 "for his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the elucidation of the structure of complex substances"1 however he made significant discoveries in many areas of chemistry including physical and biochemistry. He also made several contributions to both theoretical and applied science from genetic diseases to diagnostic technology.2 Professor G. Hägg, member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry stated in 1954…

segments of DNA that contain short, repeating sequences. The repetitions are then followed by segments of DNA from the host DNA strand. A simple version, CRISPR-Cas9, has been modified to edit genomes. By delivering the Cas9 with a synthetic guide RNA (gRNA) into a cell, the cell's genome can be cut at a desired location, allowing existing genes to be removed and/or new ones added. CRISPR-cas9 is like a tiny pair of scissors that scientists can control. Once the strand of DNA is split the cell…

The ribosome reads information along the mRNA and brings the amino acid together with help from transfer RNA. Transfer RNA has a cloverleaf shape with base-paired arms and an attached anticodon sequence. At the bottom of the tRNA there is an anticodon that pairs with a codon on mRNA. A codon is a sequence of three nucleotides. Codons are read, in order, by tRNA,…

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) belongs to the Old World arenavirus family of enveloped viruses (Buchmeier et al., 2007). LCMV in particular has served as model organism from many significant studies in the field of immunology such as the Nobel Prize winning study of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) by Zinkernagel and Doherty (1975). LCMV’s natural reservoirs are the common household rodents (Traub, 1936). Household mice have shown to attain persistent asymptomatic LCMV…

pancreatic adenocarcinoma[1, 2]. A major hindrance towards development of therapies against pancreatic ASC is that the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis remain poorly characterized. In this proposal I will take advantage of the expertise on RNA biochemistry and molecular biology that I have acquired during my doctoral training and combine it with the in vivo approaches developed by the Ventura lab to investigate the potential role of non-sense mediated decay and of the UPF1 gene…