BIOL 270 Students
Find an article that is relevant to the last unit. You may also choose to do one on COVID 19 , even if it is not directly about biotechnology.
Give the URL and a s short summary of the article. Explain how what you learned in this class has helped you understand the article.
Put BIOL 270 in your post
You can get 2 extra credit points by replying to a comment posted by a BIOL 127 student (see below) saying why you found their summary of interest
I need to approve these posts so you will not see your reply immediately.
BIOL 127 Students
Find an article that is relevant to the last unit. You may also choose to do one on COVID 19 , even if it is not directly about the molecular biology and biotechnology
Give the URL and a s short summary of the article. Explain how what you learned in this class has helped you understand the article.
You can get 2 extra credit points by replying to a comment posted by a BIOL 270 student (see above) saying why you found their summary of interest
I need to approve these posts so you will not see your reply immediately.
BIO 270
Research Techniques Made Simple: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4102308/
This article goes into more depth about the other applications of PCRs. It explains that not only is it used for the specific detection and production of DNA, but it can also be applied to diagnose diseases, complete quantitative and genomic studies as well as cloning and sequencing genes. The PCR allows for DNA to be amplified specifically from a complex pool of DNA. PCRs are performed by using source DNA from tissues and organisms. there are two different types of PCRs explained in this article: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative PCRs are used to detect if a specific DNA product is present or absent. An example of this is the Covid PCR swabbing that detect the Covid-19 antigen. Quantitative PCRs provide more in-depth information , including how much of a specific DNA is in the sample.
The basis of information I learned about the PCR in Human Genetics led me to understand the concepts used in this article as well as understanding the purpose and results of PCR testing. This served to build on the knowledge I already had of PCRs from the last unit.
Hi Julia, we are briefly learning about Polymerase Chain Reactions in BIOL 127. It seems like a complex process from what I’ve learned. The fact that there are qualitative and quantitative PCRs tells me that there is a lot more for me to learn about them. I would be interested to compare/contrast the differences between the two processes.
Hi Julia, we have just learned about the PCR’s in our last section this year. After reading your post and the article it shows that we have plenty more to learn about them and that we have only touched the surface about what they are. I found it very interesting when you mentioned that qualitative PCR’s are used to detect if certain DNA is absent or present such as COVID PCR swabbing that detects the antigen. I found this very interesting because it gives people more of an insight on how they are also used in an example relating to COVID.
Hi Julia! From reading your summary, I can see that PCR’s are extremely complex and full of information. They have a lot of ways to be applied to everyday life. I find it interesting that there are two different types of PCR’s. I like how you connected this to Covid by bringing in that exmaple. Super cool, good job!
I think learning about PCRs is interesting and learning that there is science to isolate and use so specific strands of DNA to try and research so many answers to a lot of different questions. I think article and summary is most interesting that it can be applied to COVID19 that’s taking so many lives today, in a attempt to learn more about a continuously changing virus. It’s so just interesting that PCRs can be so specific, with the quantitative and qualitative factors of how much of the isolated DNA strand is being studied or is needed, to making sure that is it the correct strand and if its there or not.
The mRNA Vaccines Are Looking Better and Better
At the start of the Covid-19 epidemic as part of the nation wide response, the federal government dedicated major funding to several fairly new technologies used for vaccine development with the hope of speeding up production . Among these were protein based, adenovirus vectors, and mRNA vaccines. Protein based technology has not been developed enough for their implementation, adenovirus vector vaccines produced by AstraZeneca and Jhonson & Jhonson have developed a rare type of blood clots in a small number of recipients and thus have not been implemented fully. mRNA vaccines have been proven to be most effective after 180 million doses have been administer with no major incidents. As result of this, the U.S. government plans to vaccinate its entire population using this vaccines. Many developed countries around the world mimic and follow U.S. vaccine approval guidelines that prioritize safety and effectiveness over cost and high production. This will pose a risk for companies to continue investing in or using more conventional vaccine technology and instead will want to shift their production to mRNA technology or discontinue existing products. The limited supply of mRNA vaccines will make them expensive and a reduction in production of conventional vaccines will put strain in underdeveloped country’s vaccination campaigns that are essential in keeping pathogenic viruses from spreading.
Learning about the process of protein synthesis starting with transcription, translation, and followed by ribosomal synthesis gave me a general idea on how mRNA vaccines must work and how different they are from others such as the ones that use viral vectors. The effectiveness that mRNA have shown are promising specially for people who have autoimmune diseases and cannon use more conventional diseases but with any advantages there is also downsides that must be noted.
Hi Nestor! I really enjoyed reading your summary and this article. We learned more about DNA, RNA, and mRNA in my class and so I kind of had a good understanding of the mRNA vaccine vs the J&J one. This makes sense that these are more effective vaccine and the fact that they are in limited supply is kind of worrying! Good job!
Hey! Personally, I find the actual application of science to be the most interesting part. I remember doing assignments about mRNA not too long ago. It’s kind of crazy that they are playing such a huge role in the Covid-19 vaccine. It looks like our content is actually current and crucial! Hopefully, the government figures out a way to make this vaccine cheaper and more available. I really enjoyed your article summary!
Can a Parent’s Life Experience Change the Genes a Child Inherits?
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/mothers-laugh-excerpt/562478/
Carl Zimmer dedicates this article to explaining several examples of epigenetic effects passed down to offspring in experiments. He first talked about a mysterious flower, known as Peloria, that looked very similar to a toadflax plant. After applying molecular biology techniques on the case they came to a conclusion. The scientists claimed that both plants have the gene to make flowers (L-CYC). However it was not a mutation that changed the gene, but the environment around it. Methylation on this gene determines whether or not the flower will be a circular bloom (toadflax) or trumpet shaped (Peloria).
Another study done by Lars Olov Bygren in Sweden claims that the timing of our ancestors birth, whether it was before or during a famine, determined how early they (and future offspring) would pass away.
An experiment performed by Brian Dias also shows that experiences can be passed on through generations. He determined this by releasing a certain odor into a mice enclosure along with a mild zap. After several days of conditional training, when this odor was released, the mice would get nervous and anticipate a zap. Offspring of these mice had the same reaction. The control group, however, had no reaction to the odor compared to the experimental.
Steve Horvath studied nature versus nurture examples in mice and humans. Well cared for children & mice will develop more neurons and receptors. As a result, this will desensitize the young, which prevents them from getting stressed out in varying situations. The opposite can be said for abandoned/poorly cared for young.
Zimmer then mentions the process of stripping and resetting methyl groups and other marks on DNA as well as RNA molecules. It is crazy to think that experiences/behaviors may be passed through to offspring by such a complex process.
By previously learning about epigenetics, I was able to understand the cause of gene expression or suppression in each of the experiments mentioned. Varying factors such as methyl groups on DNA and how the environment around us effects our genome is a main concept. Knowing this information greatly aided my understanding while reading this article.
Hi Sarah! I found your summary extremely interesting. I think that the fact that the environment caused the change rather than a mutation in the plants is very interesting. The following experiments also peaked my interest as something as simple as the time period in which you were born can affect how early one would die. Our environment is something that can be modified many times so knowing that environments and experiences can have such a large effect is of utmost importance.
The Future of Forensic DNA Analysis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4580997/
Throughout this article, the main idea is how forensic scientists use DNA to their advantage to help them solve cases. However, it also goes into depth about how they use the DNA and why they use it. Not only this, but it also gives a brief introduction of when the use of DNA became important/useable to forensics. It also goes on to describe the capabilities of DNA. For instance, it states “DNA is that by the nature of its inheritance pattern, where half of an individual’s genetic code comes from his or her mother and half comes from his or her father, close biological relatives can be used for reference points.” This is important because I was able to understand that each person was made up of half of each parent. However, I was able to learn deeper into the topic in this class and understand how half of genetic information is given off.
The article also mentions that forensic DNA technology is possible and has very good sensitivity due to the amplification of target areas with the polymerase chain reaction. This also relates back to class because in our last section we were introduced to this idea and because of that, I now know what this means. The PCR allows for amplification, which then allows for a more precise look at the target regions. However, the article did go on to say that this sensitivity is a blessing and a curse because there is a high probability/possibility of cross contamination or just contamination in general.
BIO 127 Student
Biotechnology for Wildlife
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-21309-1_46
This was a rather long article and specifically tried to find the integration of biotechnology and the environment or some kind of wild life because that is what I’m going to school for and this is the most recent chapter we’ve been learning.
But anyway this article started with the discussion of wildlife species going extinct for a multitude of reasons. It goes into the ways that biotechnology can intervene and attempt to save some species or aid in successful reproduction. There has been failures and some semi successful attempts of creating embryos with reproductive cloning and other scientific methods I don’t exactly what they stand for or how specifically they work but its still fascinating the lengths biotechnology can go to clone, or successfully creating viable embryo’s for other species. some example of the methods directly from the article are “Using SCNT to produce NT clones animals”, “Developing iPSCs from dermal fibroblasts with Sendai virus or plasmids”, and “Using SCNT to produce cloned embryos” and these methods are being used on a variety of species from deer to rhinos, to monkeys. The article even lightly touched on using other species as surrogate mothers to transfer the embryo’s to. The intervening of biotechnology is supposed to be one method, with trial and error, to saving many species according to this article.
Hey Alexus,
It is sad to see how wildlife is becoming more and more extinct. Its interesting to note that biotechnology is being used to research animal cloning or creating embryo’s form other species. Hopefully one day we will have a successful, unharmful way of saving many species that are becoming extinct. Thank you for sharing this with us!
BIO 127 Student
This is an article about forensics DNA and how it solved a missing person case. In 1994, a fisherman found a body in a lake. Officers couldn’t identify the victim’s ethnicity because the victim’s face was reconstructed. No one from the news came up with any information, so they contacted Othram, the only forensic DNA sequencing lab to perform a test. They had less than a fifth of the nanogram to test, which is an incredibly small number. With that, a genealogical profile was created and a match was identified on a public genealogical database. Usually, one match isn’t enough to identify someone, but there the match belonged to a distinctive direct maternal lineage, which is uncommon. There was also a record found of a missing person, which fit this match of who died. The victim was in the lake for about 7 years before being discovered.
This class helped me understand this article by knowing how little less than a fifth of nanograms is for testing. We learned that typical gel electrophoresis analysis of DNA requires a minimum of approximately 20 nanograms of DNA. The fact that this DNA from the scene was damaged as well sounds impressive to me that they were able to develop an immersive profile.
This is very interesting! Its quite amazing that they were able to identify a match due to the rarity of the group. Thank you for sharing this article!
This is really cool- it’s great that they were able to identify the body after so many years and give the person’s family closure. I wonder if advancements in forensics could be used in cases that were deemed unsolvable in the past? It’s certainly interesting to think about, thanks for sharing the article!
Website:
Body Found in Lake in 1994 Has Finally Been Identified
https://www.forensicmag.com/567218-Body-Found-in-Lake-in-1994-Has-Finally-Been-Identified/
BIOL 270
Cellular agriculture — industrial biotechnology for food and materials
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2019.12.003
The main purpose of this article is to get the reader thinking about our increasing population and how our sources of food need to exceed the rate it’s going at. A solution to this would be biotechnology. The article makes a point reiterating to do so, the environment can not be impacted negatively and the food needs to be controlled and provide all the necessary nutrients. The researchers behind this article understand the biology behind making this happen, but safety conditions need to be met to bring this to the public.
Class has helped me understand how animal and plant cells create a greater role in this biotechnology method.
Hi Katelyn, that is definitely a good point that should raised by more people. The world is continually growing in population at a very fast rate. They will need to figure out how to produce more food in the span of a few decades to be able to keep up with the global need. Of course, this involves genetically engineering the food in a way to grow faster and provide a higher yield while also being safe to eat. Not an easy method to master, but something that needs to happen to keep up with the demand for food.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200317175442.htm
Biology 270
This is an article about the origins of Covid-19. According to Kristian Anderson an associate professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research, covid-19 is definitely of natural origin. They determined this by comparing the genetic sequence of covid-19 to other coronaviruses.
Bio 127
Gene changes might explain long-haul COVID-19 symptoms
“Airway cells exposed to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein exhibited persisting changes in gene expression”
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/eb-gcm041621.php
The goal was to determine if and which genetic factors affected how the spiked proteins found in the Covid 19 virus changed gene expression in patients. This would allow for unique treatment plans per patient based on gene expression to give each patient the best chance at fighting off infection as well as shortening long term effects. Researchers have been working with a previously discovered technique called air-liquid interface that simulates physiological conditions that are found in a normal lung. They allowed cells to develop into mature airway cells under these conditions before introducing the virus to them. They monitored the recovery of the healthy cells as well as the damage done that would lead to long term effects. Most of what they concluded was that the damage was closely indicative of inflammatory responses.
Previously learning how gene expression works and how proteins affect gene mutation, expression, and communication helped me to better understand how the spiked proteins from the virus can bind to healthy receptors, release virus DNA into a healthy cell, and eventually damage and/or kill the healthy cell.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/why-mrna-covid-19-vaccines-might-unlock-the-key-to-treating-cancer-and-other-deadly-diseases-1.5407405
In an article titled Why mRNA COVID-19 vaccines might unlock the key to treating cancer and other deadly diseases authors outline the mRNA vaccine and the future for technologies similar to it. the vaccines Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna have been very effective thus far and have thus raised a great amount of excitement surrounding them. The technology behind these vaccines is not new it has been in the making for decades, but with the pandemic things were expedited. The science behind mRNA vaccines is that there is no actual virus being injected into the individual. Instead, the vaccine teaches the body’s cells how to make necessary antibodies to trigger an immune response. mRNA are genetic instructions that tell the body’s cells which proteins to make. They are needed for numerous cellular functions inside the body, such as, energy and immune defense. For Covid-19 vaccines scientists developed synthetic mRNA in a lab that tells cells to produce the distinctive spike protein from the Covid virus. The immune system then targets and destroys the foreign spike proteins. Researchers are hoping this technology can be expanded to things like cancer. There are currently clinical trials going on that are following high risk patients with stage 2 and stage 3 colorectal cancer who have had a tumor removed. The team creates a personalized mRNA vaccine based on the mutations of the tumor. This teaches the immune system to look for the mutations and eradicate those cells. I was able to better understand this article as we have learned about mRNA and how it works this semester. When being asked how the mRNA vaccine works I feel confident in explaining this because of the knowledge that I have gained in this class. I hope that this mRNA technology can be used in more ways such as the cancer clinical trials.
Hi Holly,
That is certainly interesting to know.
Regarding what you said about this technology possibly playing a role in curing cancer. I personally don’t know much about how different types of cancers spread but do you think that sort of technology can still be applied to different types of cancers considering they vary in type [bone, intestinal, brain, & so on].
Biol 270
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html
When there were first talks of COVID 19 vaccines the word mRNA was being thrown around. Some people used the word technology and made it sound like there was technology(chips) going inside of us. However, vaccines that utilize mRNA are just a new approach at fighting viruses. After taking Biol 270 I now understand what mRNA is and how it is the instructions for creating proteins and how if you inject the instruction for building immunity towards the virus inside of us, our immune system can start producing the antobodies necessary to keep us immune. This is definitely a new way to fight the virus as previous vaccines used dead or weakened versions of the disease to introduce it to our immune system to be able to combat the virus. This was a concept which I was very eager to learn about as I remember hearing the term mRNA in my high school biology class, but this class couldn’t have come at a better time to be able to relearn it in more detail at a time where I can apply it to my everyday life.
Hey Tawfeek,
I absolutely agree with you. Since the pandemic hit, I didn’t quite understand how the biomolecular mRNA functioned in the virus system until I gained so much information from this cell biology course. At beginning of the pandemic, I didn’t think the covid-19 virus would go wild but I am so glad that I had the foundation to grow from especially in mRNA molecules in our body! Thank you for sharing. I have also posted a similar topic if you want to check it out 🙂
Cell Bio Article BIO 127 – Boyoung Kim
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40495-020-00229-2.pdf
This specific article from clinical pharmacology called, COVID-19 Pandemic from molecular biology, pathogenesis, detection, and treatment to global societal impact, shares about how to prevent further pandemic and loss to humanity by sharing the in-depth of therapeutic drugs and vaccine strategies to cure the infections. I chose this article because this finding of article informs the recent findings of COVID-10 with positive-sense RNA viruses with single-stranded RNA by non-segmented envelopes. Our last week of the chapter touches on the biotechnology of the PCR, restriction enzymes, electrophoresis, forensic use of DNA, and Viruses which help me to better understand this article as I go on. Not only does this article shares the group of the classification of coronavirus but also with its host, viruses, diseases, and cellular responses. Table 2 go through the detailed view of the structural genes of coronavirus which we have fully covered on the DNA/RNA genome structure which helps me to understand the functions of the each structural genes given in this article.
Through this article, I have learned that understanding each virus’s classification, pathogenicity, and function will allow scientists to rapidly help people to overcome this pandemic. There are various antiviral drugs in combination with azithromycin used for the short benefit but not globally. Thus, this class BIO 127 Cell Biology has tremendously helped me to understand in-depth the process of biomolecular techniques and the foundation of DNA/RNA molecules.
Bio 127
Forensics and DNA
https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1978-forensics-and-dna
This article focuses on how DNA can be collected at a crime scene and used to solve crimes. Although it cannot alone prove someone is guilty, alongside other evidence, it can lead to a further discussion. This DNA can be obtained by a blood sample, skin, hair, semen, or any cellular tissue. In our class, we looked into how these scientists test these samples and compare to other DNA samples. Gel electrophoresis is used to separate mixtures of DNA based on their size. The larger DNA molecules move slower through the gel while the shorter/smaller move a lot faster. This method can help forensic scientists identify specific blood proteins. Forensic scientists use these collected samples and create DNA profiles with them. These profiles are used to help identify criminals and parentage. This class helped me further understand DNA’s role in these samples collected and how it can pin point exactly who was involved and someone’s parents.
Here is a video showing the story of the first time DNA evidence was used in criminal cases. Interestingly, it was not far from where the technology had been developed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie04NEaesRY
Howdy Tara,
I thought learning about applying the gel electrophoresis to real life was really interesting too! I enjoyed comparing the samples and determining who was at the crime scene. I enjoy applying things that we learn in class to the world we live in today, it makes it feel like what we are learning is much more relevant.
Aiden Clarkin
Hello Tara,
I found your summary interesting mainly because you mentioned gel electrophoresis. I know I’ve heard this on dateline a few years ago, but it was interesting reading it out, and not just hearing it on TV. It was very interesting how all of that can be used to help in the process of catching a criminal.
BIOL 270
A recent study done at the University of Wisconsin-Madison by Dr. Zhang has shown a promising treatment for neuron damage due to Parkinson’s disease. The research done involved stem cells. Stem cells have the ability to be changed into any cell in the body, so they have the potential to repair damaged cells in the body or be used to create new ones. In the case of Parkinson’s disease, people suffer from damage and loss of use of their dopamine creating neural cells. Dr. Zhang was able to create these dopamine producing cells from human stem cells and then gave them to mice affected with a similar neurologic disorder. After receiving the stem cells, the mice’s neuromotor skills improved. When Dr. Zhang examined them closer, he discovered that the neurons that had been given had formed long connections to parts of the brain as well as with established neurons.
To ensure that the stem cell neurons were truly leading to the improvements in the mice, he encoded a “switch” on the neurons to turn them off when they were exposed to a particular stimulus. When the neurons were turned off, the motor skills in the mice got much worse. This showed that his neurons were the cause of the improvements. Having this “switch” ability also could help tailor treatments to people in the future as well. Currently, Dr. Zhang is transferring his research to primates, which will bring his treatment that much closer to humans.
Learning about stem cells in this class helped me understand this article better. Before this class, I had only really heard about stem cells in the context of the controversy surrounding them. I didn’t really know what they were or how important their function is in the body and in research. Having taken this class, it helped me fully understand the importance of stem cell research and the importance of the type of work Dr. Zhang is doing.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200926145149.htm
BIO 127
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/04/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html
Vaccines are helping bring down US Covid-19 numbers. But the virus is now hitting one group of Americans harder.
My article discussed the current covid-19 statistics and how much they have decreased since vaccines have started rolling out. With nearly 70% of 65+ year-old Americans being fully vaccinated and nearly 40.5% of all US adults, the weekly averages of new covid-19 cases per week has plummeted from a staggering 251,000 cases [the highest, record in January] to only around 49,000—around a fifth of what they originally were. Slowly itching toward herd immunity, vaccine providers are advertising to younger adults to take their vaccines, especially since the current surge of patients with covid are middle-age and young adults. To tackle this, different counties throughout the U.S. are partnering with organizations to motivate who’s unvaccinated to vaccinate. With offering $100 grants and motivation with opening cities back up, these areas are hoping the number of vaccinations would go up. Organizations are even preparing to start going door to door to talk to people about the vaccine and to ease some of the people’s worries to take it.
My second vaccination is on May 11th. I highly recommend you schedule to get yours 🙂
Biology 127
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html
This article by the CDC describes how the COVID 19 vaccine works inside the body. There are macrophages that will swallow the whole invading germ and leave behind antigens for antibodies to attack. There are B-lymphocytes that produce antibodies and T-lymphocytes that attack cells that have already been infected. After the body’s white blood cells have fought off the infection, they will keep a memory of the foreign agent in their DNA so that they can produce antibodies and fight it off the next time it is encountered. In the case of a vaccine, it introduces a weakened or dead version of the virus, which allows the body to recognize it and be prepared to fight it if it infects the body through natural means in the future. Generally, there are two different shots that most people will get and over the course of 4-5 weeks the body will be fully immunized and ready to fight off the virus if it infects the body. This class has helped me understand how the body will use a vaccine to protect itself. I know that the white blood cells will first identify the virus, figure out a way to fight and defeat it, and keep a DNA record to remember exactly how to fight it if the body ever comes across the same virus again. It is not just this way for coronavirus though, as it applies to all vaccines, like the flu vaccine, chicken pox vaccine, and polio vaccine.
Hi Peter,
Don’t you just love Biology?? One of my favorite parts about how our body operate around illness and viruses is by keeping record of what’s been in us before. It’s the ultimately “sign in” log! Your article was super great and since it comes from the CDC, you know the information in it is trust worthy. Good job!
My article was about a man named Earl Washington. He was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death in 1984 for the 1982 rape and murder of Rebecca Lyn Williams in Culpeper, Virginia. After doing 17 years in prison, he was released after he was proven innocent due to modern DNA technology.
Washington had been arrested for burglary and malicious wounding. After a couple of days of questioning, he confessed to Williams’s case. Absolutely nothing connected Washington to the case besides his “confession.” Even so, his confession didn’t add up with any of the evidence or known facts. It is said that he confessed due to being mentally handicapped with an IQ of 69. Many years after his arrest, scientists performed gel electrophoresis on a specimen of semen that had been found on the blanket of the crime scene. The DNA did not match Washington. A few years later, Earl’s lawyers demanded that the scientists perform STR analysis on the biological sample. This includes isolating the DNA, using PCR to amplify STRs, and comparing sizes of STRs using gel electrophoresis. Once again, the DNA did not match Washington. After wrongfully serving 17 years in prison, Washington was released.
AccessScience Editors. “Potential Use of mRNA Vaccines to Prevent Multiple Sclerosis.” AccessScience, McGraw-Hill Education, Feb. 2021.
In this article the only portion about COVID-19, or the COVID-19 vaccine is the first paragraph. In this paragraph it talks about how the vaccine is a mRNA vaccine and how they don’t usually use this type of vaccine. They found that mRNA vaccines are able to help with certain types of autoimmune diseases.
During this semester we learned about mRNA and DNA. This information helped me to better understand how why we would try and use mRNA vaccines for certain viruses over the traditional vaccines.
Hey Tatum, great article! I found it interesting that the Vaccine being an mRNA vaccine isn’t being talked about more. I actually didn’t know that mRNA vaccine helped with autoimmune disease, I’d love to look more into that.
Bio 127
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02545-5
The article I chose called The controversial company using DNA to sketch the faces of criminals written by Carrie Arnold talks about how Parabon Nanolabs ( a famous forensic- genetics company) has been under fire because of privacy concerns. Parabon Nanolabs were famous due to their ability to solve cold cases. After an incident where the public began to criticize the lab because of the lack of privacy of the case, they lost their major source of DNA data called GEDMatch, which is a free-to-use website that allows users to upload test results in the hope of finding long- lost relatives. After losing GEDMatch, Parabon decided to attempt to use DNA to reconstruct faces. As we learned in class, DNA comes from a family tree some from mom and some from dad. According to the article, the combination of DNA samples with family trees is the core of forensic genetic genealogy. ” A parent and child, or two siblings, share 50% of their DNA. Grandparents and grandchildren share 25%, and even distant relatives share small portions of DNA. ” This information is relatively the same as what we learned in class during our DNA Forensic modules. The information in this article as well as what we learned in class has increased my knowledge and helped me understand the article much more.
BIO-270
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-what-you-need-to-know
In this article scientists from John Hopkins medical center are providing information about the COVID-19 vaccinations. In this article they explain how the FDA has approved emergency use authorization to two different vaccinations. These are the pfizer and moderna vaccinations. The article explains that these vaccinations are able to help the body identify spike proteins of the virus to help the body fight the infection faster and prevent illness. The part that I was most curious about was the longevity of the vaccination. How long will this immunity last? According to this article we have witnessed only a few months of immunity but there is evidence of possible long term immunity in some patients. The last question that I had was if it was safe to take over the counter medications like Aleve before people get their shots to prevent the side effects. The article says that if you are directed to take over the counter medications daily by your physician then continue doing so. Although, they do not recommend this to people who don’t take the medicine regularly because in some cases it has weakened the effect of the vaccination.
BIO 270
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210429142634.htm
This article discusses how diet can regulate RNA maturation. The researchers of this study focused on methylation of mRNA molecules in worms and looked at the effects to its degradation. Methylation consists of adding a methyl group to RNA, which indicates to the cell that a particular fate must be given to the molecules. Therefore, mRNA is modified by methylation, which is dependent on the diet of the worms. The researchers looked at the quantity of nutrients that were given. Their studies concluded that when the worms were given an abundant amount of nutrients, the mRNA gets methylated, which causes gene splicing to be blocked, which decreases the amount of methyl donors. This decreases the number of methylation reactions. When the worms are given low amounts of nutrients, the mRNA does not become methylated, where gene splicing does not get blocked, which then increases the amount of methyl donors. Therefore, the nutrients that comes from our diet provide the basics that are needed for producing a methyl donor.
This genetics course has helped me better understand the information within this article. Studying about the definitions and specifics of RNA and DNA helped. Learning about transcription, translation, splicing, introns and exons, etc. also allowed me to properly acknowledge the information in the article. It took me a while to fully understand these concepts that we studied within our course, and I am glad I took the time to study them. Because now, I do not have to go out of my way looking up the definitions or a better explanation of the concepts, while reading the article.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-are-mrna-vaccines-so-exciting-2020121021599
The article I picked was about mRNA vaccines and the significance that the COVID-19 vaccine had. The COVID vaccine uses “spike protein” which is part of the protein coat. It helps the body recognize the virus if the body were to ever be infected. The scientists that discovered the mRNA vaccines, also realized that the vaccine could actually provide a better defense against the virus because it taught the body what it looked like and it told the body’s killer cells to also go after the virus. Double wammy! This vaccine is also the first one to ever be developed in under four years! That being said, this isn’t something that only took 11 months to come up with. It’s been a long time coming on this vaccine and being able to prepare for it.
The significance of this article is that in our class, we learned what mRNA is and what it does. We learned how it can translate for DNA and what information, I can better understand how the vaccine is possible through mRNA.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17669009/
One of the topics covered in this class that I thought was interesting was the PCR cycle. The PCR cycle can be used to replicate DNA which is very useful for the vaccine process with production, quality and safety. The link that I found confirmed what I am saying. The PCR process was invented in 1985 and is continued to be used to day, even fighting against the pandemic! Learning something about biology and being able to apply it in our current situation is very interesting feels like I am learning for a purpose, at some points I take classes and dread them because I feel that I won’t use my learned skills in the future. This was not the case for this class.
I could not agree more! this class has certainly helped me to understand covid better and I think it is so cool that we can take the information from the classroom and use it in a more serious atmosphere!
BIO 270- Is gene therapy safe?
https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/therapy/safety/
This article discusses some of the risks that have arose from gene therapy treatment such as toxicity, inflammation, and cancer. The point of emphasis of this article is that because gene therapy is a relatively new form of treatment, we as a society have no way of knowing how these treatments will impact us or offspring of parents who receive these treatments. Given the risks of these treatments, there is an emphasis on trying to make these treatments as safe as possible. Medical researchers must have their desired trials approved by the FDA, so ultimately the FDA can reject any trials it deems unsafe to patients.
Taking this class helped me understand this article because prior to this course I had little to no knowledge on what gene therapy actually was or how it worked. Understanding the basics of gene therapy and how innovational it is helped me understand why it could be potentially dangerous.
Within the last few weeks, we have been hearing a lot about the Coronavirus crisis in India. India’s Coronavirus crisis has become the worst in the world. In Maharashtra, India coronavirus cases are climbing at an agile rate and this is because resources and healthcare are very limited in this state. It is said that this is India’s second sweep of COVID-19. In Pune, India the cases are the worst than in any other location. Doctors, patients, and loved ones are begging for hospital beds, oxygen, and medication so that health officials can properly treat patients. One health care official mentioned “We don’t have enough ward beds, we don’t have enough ICU beds, and we’re running out of ventilators”. Hundreds of scientists’ sent a plea to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting access to COVID-19 data that was already collected because more data is needed to understand/observe why coronavirus is spreading and to manage the viruses as well as predicting what is yet to come. Now that India is experiencing a second wave, they have been exposed to a highly infectious B.1.1.7 variant which with genetic testing, showed that the variant became dominant in Punjab, India. This new variant has been identified in 60% of Maharashtra’s cases. The variant B.1.1.7 is said to be highly transmissible and more lethal than any other known variant. Now that India’s COVID cases are growing rapidly day by day, the local hospitals are only housing severely ill COVID patients to help prioritize patient care and help with hospitalization shortages. With India being the world’s largest producer of vaccines, due to the crisis and the desperate need, there has been a widespread of vaccine shortages and India has stopped the export of vaccines. Although, many states in India are very poor and cannot afford vaccine. Looking forward, health care officials want to possibly move towards all citizens being vaccinated when funding is available and continue practicing social distancing and wearing masks. Even though, health care officials stated that it is unlikely that India will pull out of this crisis soon. The short term goal is to find ventilators, oxygen, hospital beds, and other medical supplies.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-india-crisis-social-distancing-masks-variant
Also, this class helped me understand this article when they discussed how genetic testing allowed them to pin point where the B.1.1.7 variant originated from.
The article I read was “Do Your Genes Predispose You to COVID-19?” (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-your-genes-predispose-you-to-covid-19/) As the title suggests it was about how different genes can lead to different symptoms. It talked about an experiment performed on mice where if they silenced a gene it made the mice very susceptible to the virus. The article also mentioned how gender could have something to do with vulnerability to the virus and that since women carry two X chromosomes which carry TLR7 which is a large role in preventing viruses
In class, we learned about cloning, genetic mutations, and DNA on a higher level giving us as students a greater understanding of the world we live in. We can actually understand and picture what these important articles are talking about. If I would have read this article before this class I probably would not understand it as well as I do now.
BIO 127- “The origin of COVID: Did people or nature open Pandora’s box at Wuhan?” by Nicholas Wade
The article I chose pertained to the uncertain origins of the Covid-19 global epidemic and provided a wealth of evidence as its potential laboratory-origin. The article details through a lengthy list of evidence and grant proposals that the WIV, or Wuhan Institute of Virology, was geared towards gain-of-function experiments with coronaviruses in BSL-2 lab conditions. The article goes on to provides examples to how one of these experiments may have escaped by providing a flurry of details, one being that the WIV was attenuating and creating these novel coronaviruses in BSL-2 conditions, woefully inept when compared to the BSL-4 conditions of the WHO, CDC, or USAMRIID labs dealing with novel pathogens. Furthermore, the article examines the evolutionary history of Covid-19, comparing it with close relatives MERS and SARS. The results are startling, in 2002 SARS required approximately 24 spike protein transformations before becoming a wide-scale epidemic and easily infecting humans for that matter. However, Covid-19 has only begun to change its spike protein structures and genes recently, being proficient in infecting humans from the initial stages of its infections of humans. Also, interestingly enough Covid-19 has left no trail of past zoonoses, as MERS and SARS did. Both of said coronaviruses had amplifier hosts in the case of MERS, Camels, and in the case of SARS, Civets, and both had the same reservoir host, bats. However the reservoir host of Covid-19 has yet to be discovered after more than a year. The most compelling piece of evidence that makes a natural origin of Covid-19 unlikely is the nature of its Furin Cleavage Site. The Furin Cleavage Site of other coronaviruses is not only morphologically different from Covid-19’s it is produced differently. Finally, the Furin Cleavage Site of Covid-19 has a double-pair of codons CGG-CGG that are utilized regularly in labs due to its ease of access into human cells, but not found in any other coronaviruses.
In BIO 127 I learned that codons are the basic components of the genetic code for all life. I was able to understand what the article was saying about Covid-19 and codons due to the fact I was taught in BIO 127 all about codons and codon-pars. By providing myself with a deep understanding on the principles of codons I was able to firmly concept of the CGG-CGG double pair codon and its implications for Covid-19 human infections.
Bio 270 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4580997/
This article basically talks about how and why forensic scientists use DNA testing to aid them in crime solving. The article goes on to say that sensitivity is available with DNA testing because the amplification of target regions with the “polymerase chain reaction” (PCR). Recently, I learned that PCR was used to make multiple copies of a DNA segment. PCR is also used to amplify a specific DNA target from multiple DNA molecules, which is is what forensic scientists use when they are looking for specific DNA.
BIOL 270
Article: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2021/04/420306/new-crispr-technology-offers-unrivaled-control-epigenetic-inheritance#:~:text=In%20a%20paper%20published%20April,edit%20to%20the%20genetic%20code.
This article covers the creation of a new type of CRISPR technology that may be used to help with genetic diseases. This new technology is called CRISPRoff, it is paired with CRISPRon, and is a very recent development – the first paper describing it was published in early April of this year. While CRISPR is used to edit the genome of an individual CRISPRoff and CRISPRon can be used to edit the epigenome – proteins and molecules that control when and where genes are switched on an off. CRISPRoff allows researchers to switch a gene off by making it methylated. Additionally, in researching the genes that CRISPRoff works on researchers found that genes did not need to be in CpG islands (areas with a high concentration of C and G nucleotides) in order to be methylated. This was a major surprise as it goes against what was known about methylation before this research. While CRISPRon and CRISPRoff can not edit genomes, they offer a safer way to treat genetic diseases. Editing a genome is considered far riskier than silencing the genes that are causing issues or activating ones that should not be silenced, especially since the process can be reversed.
This class allowed me to understand this article because it gave me a familiarity with the concepts covered in it. Knowing what methylation is allowed me to understand how CRISPRoff and CRISPRon were able to make genes methylated, and why that stopped the genes from being expressed. Additionally prior knowledge about CRISPR made it easier to understand how CRISPRon and CRISPRoff were different from it.
BIO 270
“Key Genes Related to Severe COVID-19 Infection Identified” article highlights a few genes that have been linked to the different range of symptoms presented in those who have tested positive for covid. Genetics is an important first step when looking at covid because of the different ways different people react. In this case, they were looking at different genes that impacted the immune system. Near December of 2020 they compared the genome of 2,244 patients in the ICU due to covid to people who did not test positive for covid as a control group. There were five notable gene variants associated with the immune system found in those in the ICU, IFNAR2, TYK2, OAS1, DPP9, and CCR2. In the patients that had a more severe reaction to covid they presented with lower IFNAR2 expression. This gene is part of the development of interferons. Interferons are important in the immune system because they are able to respond and notify of the unwanted pathogen. Unfortunately, providing interferons in the hospitalized patients did not decrease mortality. TYK2 and CCR2 were also important in the research. These genes encode proteins that are vital for cytokine signaling. This signal increases inflammation, and like we know for covid, can be too much and can be harmful. To combat this they use anti-inflammatory drugs which has been proven to work with antiviral medications. However, shows little effectiveness on its own. This article explains how it is important to look at the whole picture and how important genetics can be to find a good starting point. Human genetics was able to help me understand the importance of different genes and how they help other parts of the body. This article and genetics has also helped me get a better understanding on how it is important to first start look at certain situations as a congenital foundation and then continue to learn forward to get a better understanding of how the body has been impacted by the environment, or just the genes themselves.