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Synopsis:
“The Inner Life of the Genome” by Tom Misteli, was written for the February 2011 edition Scientific American. Tom Misteli is a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda. He writes about genome cell biology, and its many early questions and theories that only recently could be answered due to the development of 3D imaging, and chromosome marking technologies. Chromosome markers have allowed for observations to be made into the genomes complex spaghetti like structure. It has been observed that in different cell types the chromosome position change, chromosomes on the periphery of the nucleus were more likely to become inactive, while the chromosomes that were placed closer to the centre became more active having more contact with the nucleus molecular machinery. Observations of chromosome positions in healthy and unhealthy cells have led to development of techniques in diagnosing how gene positions can help identify factors in which diseases and cancers arise.
Analysis:
The article was written for the February 2011 edition of Scientific A...
9. Travis, John. "End games: tips of chromosomes may contain secrets of cancer and aging." Science News 25 Nov. 1995: 362+. Science in Context. Web. 20 May 2014.
These discoveries about the structure of DNA allowed scientists to explore the genome and develop a stronger understanding of genes. Within a decade of its discovery, other scientists had identified the genes responsible for specific diseases and traits. The discovery of the structure of DNA created a basis for ...
Francis S. Collins is a renowned geneticist who originally became Ph.D in Physical Chemistry at Yale University and later on, a Medical Doctor at University of North Carolina. As soon as he graduated he was offered a fellowship in Human Genetics at Yale University under the guidance of Sherman Weissman, currently Sterling Professor of Genetics. In the late 1980’s Collins became known in the field of Medical Genetics for his development of positional cloning, a technique that allows to locate a hereditary disease-causing gene by studying the inheritance pattern within a family. Working with his method researchers found the genes responsible for diseases like Cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, Neurofibromatosis, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type one, and Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome. In 1993 Dr. Collins succeeded Dr. James D. Watson as the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), overseeing the role of the United States in the mapping of the human genome. In 2009 President Obama personally recommended Collins to lead the National Institute of Health (NIH) where he works until present day. Francis S. Collins is by no means a bragging individual, bits and pieces of his accomplishments are scattered throughout the book and he makes no big deal about it; instead he j...
Cancer has been an active concern in our society for the past couple decades, since we truly discovered the nature of cancer and the potency it brings along with it. However, it was not until the mid-20th century that scientists were beginning to truly understand the origin of cancer. Scientists dating back all the way to the Renaissance, when they first began performing autopsies to learn more about the human body and form, noticed abnormalities but it never clicked that it was something much worse than it seemed. Research has continued since then, and it has continued to thrive even to this day. When James Watson and Francis Crick discovered DNA and it’s chemical structure in 1962, it opened up doors that even they could not expect. With the understanding of DNA and how it affected the way we look at life, came the beginning of the understanding of mutated DNA (which is a cause of the growth of cancerous cells). In this past century, researching scientists discovered that cancer is linked with the DNA that resides in a cell’s nucleus. By ways of damage to the cells via chemicals or radiation, or even introduction of a new DNA, the cancerous cells begin to form and duplicate. We are learning more and more about cancer and how to fight it, but we still have much more to learn.
Despite the unquestionable gains that embryonic stem cell research has brought and may continue to bring to medicine, I believe the ethics and morality of stem cell research is questionable. Embryonic stem cells are taken from a human embryo, which is “the developing organism from the time of fertilization” (conception) “until the end of the eighth week of gestation, when it becomes known as a fetus” (National Institutes of Health). These embryos are fertilized in an in vitro fertilization clinic, and their stem cells are extracted from their inner cell mass of the blastocyst after three to four days. They must be extracted because after five days of the embryonic cell’s development, these undifferentiated stem cells no longer exist. In the process of extracting these cells from the infer mass of the blastocyst, the human embryo is destroyed. Since human life begins at the moment of conception (when sperm fertilizes an egg), the destruction of the human embryo is the destruction of a human being. Killing a human being and disregarding the irrevocable value of human life is morally wrong; therefore, embryonic stem cell research is not morally acceptable. I will be arguing this point throughout the paper, taking into consideration counterarguments and building upon others that are also against embryonic stem cell research.
In the American colonies, runaway slave and servants were an issue that constantly arose. In the case of highly valued property, the master of the delinquent would pay to place an ad in a newspaper promising reward . Contemporary newspapers survive which allow us to look for patterns in the way that each colony dealt with their escapees and how the process differed from slaves to servants. In postings from New England, Pennsylvania, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Lower South, descriptions of English ability, clothing, skin attributes, and the ways in which to handle captured runways outline the similarities and differences in the lives of slaves and servants.
Eukaryotic cells have their chromosomes contained in a nucleus. Unicellular orgasisms such as amoebas and yeast, or multi-cellular organisms such as plants and animals consist of eukaryotic cells. Human being consist of approximately 1 billion cells per gram tissue. DNA located in 23 pairs of chromosomes is contained in each cell nucleus. Schleiden in 1838 and Schwann in 1839 made very important discoveries that we consist of cells, and Remark discovered that cells prolifarate through division in 1850. Three decades ago, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the cell cycle and thus cell division was able to be identified. It has been known that these vital mechanisms are conserved through evolution and function in the same way in eukaryotic organisms.
The cell cycle is the process by which cells progress and divide. In normal cells, the cell cycle is controlled by a complex series of signaling pathways by which a cell grows, replicates it’s DNA and divides, these are called proto-oncogenes. A proto-oncogene is a normal gene that could become an oncogene due to mutations. This process has mechanisms to ensure that errors are corrected, if they are not, the cells commit suicide (apoptosis). This process is tightly regulated by the genes within a cell’s nucleus. In cancer, as a result of genetic mutations, this process malfunctions, resulting in uncontrolled cell proliferation. Mutations in proto-oncogene or in a tumour suppressor gene allow a cancerous cell to grow and divide without the normal control imposed by the cell cycle. A change in the DNA sequence of the proto-oncogene gives rise to an oncogene, which
The cell cycle is the synchronous process by which existing cells give rise to new cells. This process can be broadly divided into two stages: interphase and mitosis. During interphase, cells increase in size, replicate their chromosomes to form sister chromatids, and increase their rates of protein synthesis. During mitosis, sister chromatids are separated and transported to opposite cell poles, followed by cell division (cytokinesis). Recent investigations have revealed much information about the morphological changes that occur in mitotic cells. These morphological changes occur in a precise order and include, in chronological order, condensation of chromosomes, changes in microtubule assembly patterns, nuclear envelope breakdown, chromosome alignment at the center of the cell, chromosome separation to opposite cell poles, and nuclear envelope reassembly prior to cytokinesis. Similar morphological changes have been observed during meiosis, indicating that the processes driving DNA distribution in somatic cells and gametes is similar (Baserga, 1968).
The nucleus is the CEO of the cell. It controls all cell activity, It regulates movement, reproduction, and eating in the cell. The nucleus contains the of the cell's genetic information. This information is organized as deoxyribonucleic acid molecules, in conjunction with a spread of proteins, to create chromosomes.
An ordinary human body contains approximately one trillion cells and precisely 46 chromosomes in each cell. However, the human body can be altered by a genetic mutation. Over the course of history, genetic mutations have had a large impact on the human race. They have brought harm to numerous amounts of people. Cancer, in particular, is one of the most lethal diseases. Cancer begins when a portion of DNA inside a chromosome is damaged, causing a cell to mutate. Then, the mutated cell reproduces multiple times and creates a tumor. Afterwards, cancer cells break off of the tumor, enter the bloodstream, and disperse throughout the body. If the cells break off, the tumor is considered malignant - this type of cancer is very difficult to cure. Many patients today stay optimistic for a medication to heal cancer. It is imperative to address a few of the causes and effects of cancer in order to gain a general knowledge of genetic mutations.
In the most general terms, the nucleus is the command center of a eukaryotic cell. Although the origin of the organelle is unclear, it is believed that it is derived from a symbiosis relationship between a bacterium and an archaea (Martin W. 2005). Being the main hub for the inner workings of a cell involves different functions overall. These nucleic functions are determined by the genes within the DNA of the cell. Functions of the cell are also regulate by soluble proteins that come in and out of the cell via the membranes and specific channels or the nuclear pore complexes. The overall objectives of the nucleus include; gene expression, compartmentalization, and processing pre-mRNA. The functions of the organelles and sub-regions
Cells are of two distinctly different types, prokaryotes and eukaryotes; thus, the living world is divided into two broad categories. The DNA of prokaryotes is a single molecule in direct contact with the cell cytoplasm, whereas the DNA of eukaryotes is much greater in amount and diversity and is contained within a nucleus separated from the cell cytoplasm by a membranous nuclear envelope. Many eukaryotic cells are further divided into compartments by internal membranes in addition to the nuclear envelope, whereas prokaryotic cells never contain completely
The human genome consists of 50,000 to 100,000 genes located on 23 pairs of chromosomes. One chromosome in each pair is inherited from the mother, and the other from the father. Each chromosome contains a long molecule of DNA, the molecule of which genes are made. The order of the four bases on the DNA strand determines the information content of a particular gene or piece of DNA. Mapping is the process of determining the position and spacing of genes, or other genetic landmarks, on the chromosomes relative to one another.
Marshal, Elliot. "Whose Genome is it Anyway?" Science. Vol. 273. September 27, 1996: 1788, 1789.