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Promethease Report (1)

Submitted by nalexandroum on Wed, 04/17/2019 - 13:25

Of the SNPs analyzed in the Promethease report, 55.94% were good, 0.97% were bad, and 43.09% were not set. Of the good SNPs, one identified was rs7294919, which shows a fairly strong link to a reduced volume of the hippocampus. The hippocampus is a structure in the brain that is critically involved in learning and memory, particularly associated with the ability to form long-term memories. It shrinks with age, and its size is diminished in disorders such as Alzheimer’s. The decrease in hippocampal size is associated with the T allele, each copy of which is associated with a 107.8 mm3 decrease, while the C allele has a connection to a moderate increase in hippocampal volume. This individual has the C/T variation, which means that there is a less reduced hippocampal volume.

Poster Assessment Activity 3

Submitted by sditelberg on Wed, 04/17/2019 - 10:42

The poster is informative with three patient examples. Each example includes the age and gender of the patient as well as the tests run and the results found, both through images of the brain and corresponding graphs. Specific lines on the graphs that correspond to different regions of the brain are highlighted in the same color for easier visualization. There is no raw data and graphs are clean. Each example is located in the same region of the poster to allow for comparison across patients. However, there are no statistics on the results present. Overall, this poster is persuasive, clean, and succinct.

 

Steps to Genetically Modify Crops

Submitted by afeltrin on Wed, 04/17/2019 - 10:00

The process of genetically modifying a crop entails four main steps. First, it is essential to identify the desired trait. A popular example of a desired trait is tolerance to the Roundup herbicide, which resulted in the creation of ‘Roundup Ready.’ Next, the desired trait will have its DNA isolated. A comparative analysis is generally conducted to identify this trait’s genetics. If it is easily identified, then scientists can simply remove parts of the genome that are responsible for expressing this specific trait. The next step entails inserting this desired genetic trait into a new genome. This can occur in two ways. Currently, a popular method is utilizing a ‘gene gun’ to insert DNA-coated metal particles into plant tissue. The other method is to use bacteria to enter the seeds and alter the plants’ DNA by inserting its own DNA. The final step is to simply grow the GMO. Allowing it to grow will ensure that it can reproduce the same plant with these new traits (Powell).

ZCP4 promoter

Submitted by ewinter on Wed, 04/17/2019 - 00:08

AT1g61610 was found to have a Zinniacysteine protease 4 (ZCP4) promoter cis-element-like sequence 1000 b.p. upstream, and the ZCP4 promoter governs tracheary element differentiation (Pyo et al. 2007). The presence of this cis-element-like sequence implicates AT1g61610 in the development of xylem, although nothing further is known to this end. Xylem are the vesicles in plants that transport water up from the roots to the leaves. The development of xylem includes lignification and secondary cell wall formation.

Gene Organization

Submitted by scasimir on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 23:52

Early work on gene structure was carried out largely through the examination of mutations in bacteria and viruses. This research led Francis Crick to propose in 1958 that genes and proteins are colinear, that there is a direct correspondence between the nucleotide sequence of DNA and the amino acid sequence of a protein. The concept of colinearity suggests that the number of nucleotides in a gene should be proportional to the number of amino acids in the protein encoded by that gene. In a general sense, this concept is true for genes found in bacterial cells and in many viruses, although these genes are slightly longer than would be expected if colinearity were strictly applied because the mRNAs encoded by the genes contain sequences at their ends that do not specify amino acids. At first, eukaryotic genes and proteins were also assumed to be colinear, but there were hints that eukaryotic gene structure is fundamentally different. Eukaryotic cells were found to contain far more DNA than is required to encode proteins. Furthermore, many large RNA molecules observed in the nucleus were absent from the cytoplasm, suggesting that nuclear RNAs undergo some type of change before they are exported to the cytoplasm.

the Structure of the Ribosome

Submitted by scasimir on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 23:45

The ribosome is one of the most abundant molecular complexes in the cell: a single bacterial cell may contain as many as 20,000 ribosomes, and eukaryotic cells possess even more. Ribosomes typically contain about 80% of the total cellular RNA. They are complex structures, each consisting of more than 50 different proteins and RNA molecules. A functional ribosome consists of two subunits, a large ribosomal subunit, and a small ribosomal subunit, each of which consists of one or more RNA molecules and a number of proteins. The sizes of the ribosomes and their RNA components are given in Svedberg (S) units (a measure of how rapidly an object sediments in a centrifugal field). (It is important to note that S units are not additive: combining a 10S structure and a 20S structure does not necessarily produce a 30S structure because the sedimentation rate is affected by the three-dimensional structure of an object as well as by its mass). The three-dimensional structure of the bacterial ribosome has been elucidated in great detail through X-ray crystallography.

Poster Assessment Activity 2

Submitted by sditelberg on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 22:17

This poster includes the following sections: “Introduction,” “Methods,” “Results,” three sections of “Example Patients,” “Conclusions,” and “References & Acknowledgments.” These sections are presented in this order on three panels of the poster, reading left to right across the poster and vertically in each panel. This gives the poster a smooth flow and as a result, information regarding each section is easy to find. Within each section, the most important information is in bold and following information is presented in truncated language. Writing for the poster is in bullet point format and is direct. There are no grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors, however, conventions are slightly different as this poster is from the United Kingdom. Language is appropriate for scientific writing. In a clinical setting, this poster is structured to be as clear as possible. Images with colorful labeling aids in this process and conclusions are summarized in three short bullets.

Draft 4/16

Submitted by aprisby on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 21:41

A major extinction, the Kellwasser event marked the beginning of the last phase of the Devonian period, the Famennian faunal stage about 375-360 million years ago. A second mass extinction, the Hangenberg event, closed the Devonian period. It is still unclear as to the extent of time during these extinctions, as it is uncertain whether there were two sharp mass extinctions or a series of smaller extinctions. By the late devonian, land had been colonized by plants and insects, and the oceans were massive reefs built by corals and stromatoporoids. The extinction for the most part hit marine life. Euramerica and Gondwana were beginning to converge into what would become Pangea.

Epigenetics

Submitted by afeltrin on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 17:49

In “Trauma Permanently Affecting DNA?,” I found it so intriguing that trauma, regardless of it being short-lived or continual, can permanently alter your DNA. Epigenetic gene expression is different from other kinds of inheritance due to it being solely a change in the phenotype of the gene, not the genotype. So, the underlying gene sequence is not affected; molecules will sit on the DNA and change the way in which RNA is made from DNA. This, in turn, changes the way proteins are made, leading to change in mood, behavior, and stress responses. A common example of an epigenetic change is methylation, which is the addition of a methyl group onto DNA. Other forms of inheritance directly alter the DNA gene sequence, in contrast with epigenetics.

Week12 Draft2

Submitted by mqpham on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 17:35

In this experiment, we are testing the effect of a legume’s mass on oviposition preferences of the female bean beetle, specifically lima beans, black eye peas, and mung beans. Our control will be the mung bean group, on which the parental beetles were laid. Knowing that the beans on which they are laid will be the only food source for the larvae’s development, it must be necessary on the female’s part to lay eggs on beans that provide enough sustenance for better fitness of the offspring. Therefore- if the oviposition preferences of the female bean beetles are determined solely by the mass of the beans, then there would be an equal number of eggs per equal mass of beans, however, there would be a significantly greater number of eggs on individual beans that weigh more. We predict to find an equal number of eggs in each petri dish containing equal mass of beans, but on individual beans that weigh more, there would be more eggs overall. In other words, there should be more eggs per lima bean than black eyed pea or mung bean, and more eggs per black eyed pea than mung bean.

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