SNPs, Chips, and the
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are DNA sequence variations that occur when a single nucleotide is altered. A SNP might change the DNA sequence from AAGGCTAA a ATGGCTAA. SNPs occur every 100 to 300 bases. SNPs can occur in both coding and noncoding regions of the genome. Some SNPs have no effect on cell function, but others can have a major impact on how humans respond to disease and drug therapies. This makes SNPs of great value for biomedical research and for developing pharmaceutical products. SNPs also do not change much through generations, making them easier to follow in population studies. Scientists believe SNP maps will help them identify the genes (there are many genes involved) associated with such diseases as cancer, diabetes, and some forms of mental illness. SNP maps are also expected to identify thousands of additional markers along the genome. Over the past several years, a new technology called DNA microarray has attracted enormous interest among scientists. A microarray is a tool for analyzing gene expression that consists of a small membrane or glass slide containing samples of many genes arranged in a regular pattern. This technology can monitor an entire genome on a single chip so that resea
In order to determine the common name and function of these sequences, by using the fasta33 search engine located at www.ebi.ac.uk/fasta33/. After clicking the link for BRCA1, the name of the sequence, click Comments at the top of the page. This will allow you to read about the gene's function. Sequence 2 a gene DFNA1 - Nonsyndromic Deafness Sequence 3 a Gene FGFR-3 or JTK4 - fibroblast growth factor rchers can have a better picture of the interactions among thousands of genes. Microarrays may be used to assay gene expression within a single sample or to compare gene expression in two different cell types or tissue samples, such as in healthy and diseased tissue. Only a fraction of an organism's genes are turned on. It is the genes that are turned on, or 'expressed', that gives the distinctive properties to each cell type. A microarray works by allowing mRNA molecules to hybridize to the DNA template from which it originated. By using an array containing many DNA samples, scientists can determine the expression levels of hundreds or thousands of genes within a cell by measuring the amount of mRNA bound to each site on the array. The amount of mRNA bound to the spots on the microarray is measured which shows the gene expression in the cell. In 1996, the government of Iceland passed a law enacting the creation of a national health database. It will be created by the genetic research company deCODE. When first proposed, the bill required medical records only to be included in the database. In December of 1998, after much heated debate, the parliament of Iceland passed a bill that allowed for the creation of a centralized database of all the Icelandic peoples' genealogical, genetic, and personal medical information. Iceland provides a good model for the project for several reasons. Its population is only about 275,000, detailed medical records have been maintained since 1915, genealogy is an fundamental part of the culture, the country is isolated geographically, and the homogeneity of the population makes the search for genes associated with a disease much easier. The
Some common words found in the essay are:
ATGGCTAA SNPs, Hemorrhaging Crohn's, Stefansson CEO, Mannvernd Icelandic, NOD2 Gene, Huntington Huntington's, Binds GPT-, Rho Scr, FGFR-3 JTK4, SNPs DNA, gene expression, medical records, abdominal pain, fibroblast growth, gene expression cell, medical field, snp maps, amount mrna, mrna bound, common diseases, amount mrna bound, fibroblast growth factor, growth factor receptor, actin polymerization,
Approximate Word count = 1424
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
