Category Archives: Genetics

This article is about the heritable unit for transmission of biological traits. For other uses, see Gene (disambiguation). A gene is a locus (or region) of DNA that encodes a functional RNA or protein product, and is the molecular unit of heredity.[1][2]:Glossary The transmission of genes to an organism's offspring is the basis of the inheritance of phenotypic traits. Most biological traits are under the influence of polygenes (many different genes) as well as the geneenvironment interactions. Some genetic traits are instantly visible, such as eye colour or number of limbs, and some are not, such as blood type, risk for specific diseases, or the thousands of basic biochemical processes that comprise life. Genes can acquire mutations in their sequence, leading to different variants, known as alleles, in the population. These alleles encode slightly different versions of a protein, which cause different phenotype traits. Colloquial usage of the term "having a gene" (e.g., "good genes," "hair colour gene") typically refers to having a different allele of the gene. Genes evolve due to natural selection or survival of the fittest of the alleles. The concept of a gene continues to be refined as new phenomena are discovered.[3] For example, regulatory regions … Continue reading →

Historical Examples Eugenics is the science of reproducing better humans by applying the established laws of genetics or heredity. It sprang from genetics and bears the mark of an implicit Darwinian mechanism. They also opened new horizons for hypotheses in astronomy, genetics, anthropology. If, then, progress was to be made in genetics, work of a different kind was required. But a better definition, based on the results of genetics, looks at it as a mechanism, not as an external appearance. British Dictionary definitions for genetics Expand (functioning as sing) the branch of biology concerned with the study of heredity and variation in organisms the genetic features and constitution of a single organism, species, or group Word Origin and History for genetics Expand 1872, "laws of origination;" see genetic + -ics. A coinage of English biologist William Bateson (1861-1926). Meaning "study of heredity" is from 1891. genetics in Medicine Expand genetics genetics (j-nt'ks) n. The branch of biology that deals with heredity, especially the mechanisms of hereditary transmission and the variation of inherited traits among similar or related organisms. genetics in Science Expand genetics in Culture Expand Go here to see the original: Genetics | Define Genetics at Dictionary.com … Continue reading →

The Genetics Graduate Program was developed in 1970 as an interdepartmental degree-granting program that provides graduate education in the field of genetics, and over 200 alumni have received PhD degrees in Genetics. The program is administered through the College of Natural Science, and participating faculty have academic appointments in various MSU departments or institutions affiliated with MSU. The objectives of the Genetics Program are to train students for careers in research, teaching, and other science-related fields that rely on a deep understanding of the scientific method and of the nature and significance of genetics and genomics. After training, students should be able to appreciate and contribute to new developments in this rapidly changing field. BMS Newsletter A listing of upcoming seminars,events, jobs, workshops, and scholarships. [Check out the latest Newsletter.] Congratulations to Jinpeng Li who received the 2nd place AACT and Charles River Best Abstract Award, and the 3rd place ITSS Student Presentation Award for his poster presentation at the Society of Toxicology 55th Annual Meeting! Read the original: Genetics Graduate Program - Michigan State University … Continue reading →

The information in genomes provides the instruction set for producing each living organism on the planet. While we have a growing understanding of the basic biochemical functions of many of the individual genes in genomes, understanding the complex processes by which this encoded information is read out to orchestrate production of incredibly diverse cell types and organ functions, and how different species use strikingly similar gene sets to nonetheless produce fantastically diverse organismal morphologies with distinct survival and reproductive strategies, comprise many of the deepest questions in all of science. Moreover, we recognize that inherited or acquired variation in DNA sequence and changes in epigenetic states contribute to the causation of virtually every disease that afflicts our species. Spectacular advances in genetic and genomic analysis now provide the tools to answer these fundamental questions. Members of the Department of Genetics conduct basic research using genetics and genomics of model organisms (yeast, fruit fly, worm, zebrafish, mouse) and humans to understand fundamental mechanisms of biology and disease. Areas of active investigation include genetic and epigenetic regulation of development, molecular genetics, genomics and cell biology of stem cells, the biochemistry of micro RNA production and their regulation of gene expression, and genetic … Continue reading →

What is a Gene? Look closely at the chromosomes and you'd see that each is made of bundles of looping coils. If you unraveled these coils, you'd have a six-foot long double strand of deoxyribonucleic acid-DNA. A more+ How Do Genes Work? Genes are often called the blueprint for life, because they tell each of your cells what to do and when to do it: be a muscle, make bone, carry nerve signals, and so on. And how do genes orchestrate more+ Why We are Different Biologists use two fancy words to describe the relationship between your genes and your physical traits. The first word is genotype. Your genotype is your genes for a given trait. In most cases, more+ Mutations and Disease DNA is constantly subject to mutations, accidental changes in its code. Mutations can lead to missing or malformed proteins, and that can lead to disease. We all start out our lives with some more+ Genetic Testing Have you ever had your genes tested? Probably not. DNA testing is still pretty limited, although it is becoming more and more common, especially for fetuses and newborns. Many prospective parents, more+ Making Medicines Not long ago, if you were diabetic, … Continue reading →

Medical genetics is the branch of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of hereditary disorders. Medical genetics differs from human genetics in that human genetics is a field of scientific research that may or may not apply to medicine, while medical genetics refers to the application of genetics to medical care. For example research on the causes and inheritance of genetic disorders would be considered within both human genetics and medical genetics, while the diagnosis, management, and counselling people with genetic disorders would be considered part of medical genetics. In contrast, the study of typically non-medical phenotypes such as the genetics of eye color would be considered part of human genetics, but not necessarily relevant to medical genetics (except in situations such as albinism). Genetic medicine is a newer term for medical genetics and incorporates areas such as gene therapy, personalized medicine, and the rapidly emerging new medical specialty, predictive medicine. Medical genetics encompasses many different areas, including clinical practice of physicians, genetic counselors, and nutritionists, clinical diagnostic laboratory activities, and research into the causes and inheritance of genetic disorders. Examples of conditions that fall within the scope of medical genetics include birth defects and dysmorphology, mental retardation, autism, … Continue reading →

Woman's genetic counselors can help you understand your genetic risks for certain diseases, such as cancer, or for passing an existing disease on to a child. Genetic counseling can lead to the earliest detection of diseases you or your baby may be at-risk of developing. If you are concerned about diseases that run in your family, talk to you doctor about genetic counseling. Genetics is the study of heredity, the process in which parents pass certaingenesonto their children. A person's physical appearance height, hair color, skin color and eye color are determined by genes. Other characteristics affected by heredity include: Humans have an estimated 100,000 different genes that contain specific genetic information, and these genes are located on stick-like structures in the nucleus of cells called chromosomes. When a gene is abnormal, or when entire chromosomes are left off or duplicated, defects in the structure or function of the body's organs or systems can occur. These mutations or abnormalities can result in disorders such as cystic fibrosis, a recessive genetic disease, or Down syndrome, an abnormality that occurs when a baby receives three No. 21 chromosomes. Each person has more than 100,000 genes that direct the growth and development of … Continue reading →

Genetics is a discipline of biology.[1] It is the science of heredity. This includes the study of genes, and the inheritance of variation and traits of living organisms.[2][3][4] In the laboratory, genetics proceeds by mating carefully selected organisms, and analysing their offspring. More informally, genetics is the study of how parents pass some of their characteristics to their children. It is an important part of biology, and gives the basic rules on which evolution acts. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been known since prehistoric times, and used to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding. However, the modern science of genetics, which seeks to understand the process of inheritance, only began with the work of Gregor Mendel in the mid-nineteenth century.[5] Although he did not know the physical basis for heredity, Mendel observed that organisms inherit traits via discrete units of inheritance, which are now called genes. Living things are made of millions of tiny self-contained components called cells. Inside of each cell are long and complex molecules called DNA.[6]DNA stores information that tells the cells how to create that living thing. Parts of this information that tell how to make one small … Continue reading →

"Half of your DNA is determined by your mother's side, and half is by your father. So, if you seem to look exactly like your mother, perhaps some DNA that codes for your body and how your organs run was copied from your father's genes." So close, yet so far. This quote, taken from a high school student's submission in a national essay contest, represents just one of countless misconceptions many people have about the basic nature of heredity and how our bodies read the instructions stored in our genetic material (Shaw et al. 2008). Although it is true that half of our genome is inherited from our mother and half from our father, it is certainly not the case that only some of our cells receive instructions from only some of our DNA. Rather, every diploid, nucleated cell in our body contains a full complement of chromosomes, and our specific cellular phenotypes are the result of complex patterns of gene expression and regulation. In fact, it is through this dynamic regulation of gene expression that organismal complexity is determined. For example, when the first draft of the human genome was published in 2003, scientists were surprised to find that … Continue reading →

Genetics,chromosomeCreated and produced by QA International. QA International, 2010. All rights reserved. http://www.qa-international.comstudy of heredity in general and of genes in particular. Genetics forms one of the central pillars of biology and overlaps with many other areas such as agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology. Since the dawn of civilization, humankind has recognized the influence of heredity and has applied its principles to the improvement of cultivated crops and domestic animals. A Babylonian tablet more than 6,000 years old, for example, shows pedigrees of horses and indicates possible inherited characteristics. Other old carvings show cross-pollination of date palm trees. Most of the mechanisms of heredity, however, remained a mystery until the 19th century, when genetics as a systematic science began. Crick, Francis Harry Compton: proposed DNA structureEncyclopdia Britannica, Inc.Genetics arose out of the identification of genes, the fundamental units responsible for heredity. Genetics may be defined as the study of genes at all levels, including the ways in which they act in the cell and the ways in which they are transmitted from parents to offspring. Modern genetics focuses on the chemical substance that genes are made of, called deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, and the ways in which it affects the chemical … Continue reading →