RNA world hypothesis

Epigenetics, a contemporary and often misunderstood topic in the field of biology, was first defined in the early 1940s as “the branch of biology which studies the causal interactions between genes and their products with bring the phenotype into being” (Dupont 2009). Since then, as understanding of the human genome has developed and grown, a complex array of errors and dysfunctions in the processes of gene regulation, expression, and replication have been shown to cause, or correlate strongly…

You can take your finger and trace the curvy path from one end to the other. To the rest of the world, "linear" means "straight and not curved" but for polymers, linear means "straight and not branched". Branch Out! A BRANCHED polymer chain has extra beginnings (branches!) along the chain and so it has lots of ends. No matter where you start, you…

Mitochondria was first discovered in 1856 by Swiss anatomist Van Kölliker. Dr. Kölliker while he was conducting a study on muscle tissue (Giezen, Page 1). He found these “sacrosomes” which would later become known as mitochondria. When scientist first started discovering mitochondria they were extremely fascinated with all of the various structures of the mitochondria (Giezen, Page 1). Early scientist posted numerous theories of the origin of mitochondria. One of these theories was that…

In the spring of 1953 James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the true structure of deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) utilizing theoretical chemistry and borrowed X-ray crystallography images. They postulated that the structure of DNA contained two helical chains that run in opposite directions of one another. They also stated, in contrast to Linus Pauling’s structure, that due to the repulsive forces between the negatively charged phosphate groups the nitrogenous bases would be located on the…

Previously we were taught that our DNA is what make us unique. But what if I told you that our DNA didn’t do all the work? There is a protein in our bodies that makes our DNA coding complete and it’s called an epigenome. There are two proteins that make up one protein of a epigenome and they are histones. They are wrapped around the DNA and the Methyl group that are attached to it. Of course we are taught that our DNA makes up who we are as far as characteristics; However, epigenetics explain…

Chromatin, chromatids, and chromosomes have different transformations in terms of mitosis and meiosis. Chromatin in Meiosis and Mitosis are shown differently in Interphase. In Mitosis, the chromatin is made up of DNA and proteins. The DNA coils around the protein and that structure is called a nucleosome. Each chromatid in Mitosis is made up of many strings of the DNA and proteins (nucleosomes) to form a half X. The chromosome is made up of two of the chromatids (DNA and proteins-nucleosomes)…

It is beyond a doubt that the founding fathers could ever conceive an American society like the one we are living in today. The discovery of the structure of DNA marks a significant landmark in medical history. This has open the doors to a new realm that deepen our understanding of biological systems and promises a future that once was an abstract idea in science fiction novels. A challenge that my generation is facing is answering whether genetic modifications are ethical. Despite the…

The Sangers dideoxy sequencing method uses the dideoxynucleotide triphosphates (ddNTPs) as DNA chain terminators. For this method to work effectively, it requires the following: a DNA primer, a single –stranded DNA template, radioactively or fluorescently labelled nucleotides, a DNA polymerase, and modified nucleotides that play a role in terminating the DNA strand elongation. The DNA sample is divided into four separate sequencing reactions, containing the DNA polymerase and all four standard…

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) within organisms can be methylated while proteins can be either methylated or acetylated. The methylation of DNA and RNA is used for alternative splicing used for production of different mRNA molecules resulting in numerous new proteins. One of the molecules believed to perform the methylation is N6A or N6 methyladenosine. Methylation is the most observed modification to mRNA molecules. Methylation of both DNA and RNA ensures…

An operon is a cluster of genes in a bacteria that are clustered together and have related functions. Genes in an operon are coexpressed, which means that they are turned on or off under a single promoter. The genes of the arabinose operon are Ara A, Ara B, and Ara D (or the B. A. D. genes) which are all digestive enzymes that allow bacteria to break down arabinose. When Ara A, Ara B, and Ara D cluster together they form the arabinose operon. The gene that replaces the arabinose operon is the…