Question

Discuss a historical genetic discovery and the implications the research had on life as we understand it. Describe the relationship between allele, gene, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and chromosome. Should companies be able to patent human genes? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Historical genetic discovery:

The history of genetic discovery can be classifief on the basis of time period"

Mid to 19th century: Charles Darwin and Wallace in 1858 conducted research on the orgin of species and their variability. Thus the orgin of genetics mainly lie on the theory of evolution,

: Gregor Mendal,Father of Genetics conducted experiments on inheritence, also tried to explain the unit heredity,which cannot be changed and it will be passwed on to offsprings.

:Haeckal identified the heredity material was actually seen in the nucleus

:Miescher showed the material in the nucleus was actually nucleic acid

Early 20th century: Untill 1900, Mendel's work was largely unknown, after that Mendelian principles and chromosomal theory of inheritence got wide acceptance and publications.

: chromosomal abnormalities like duplications,translocations inversions were noted

Mid 20th century: in 1920 and mid of 1950's, DNA was determined to be the genetic material by Griffith's experiment on bacterial strain

:Avery,McLeod and McCarty showed DNA is the factor responsible for genetic inheritence.

: Watson and Crick identified the structure of DNA and suggested that DNA contains genetic code - itr was discovered in 1960

: Crick discovered the process of translation and transcription-led to formation of 'central dogma of molecular biology'

Late 20th to early 21st century: Genetic code was cracked in 1961,DNA is not only made of a single but specific triplets of DNA bases.

: in 1970 Reverse transcriptase enzyme was found in retroviruses and used in cloning

:1977 Frederick Sanger identified the process of sequencing the genome

:1983, Kary Mullis discovered Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

: 1990, Human genome project was started to sequence and map the all genes of man

: 1996. Ian wilmut and Keith Campbell successfully clonned a sheep Dolly

2003, human genome project completed successfully

Gene and allele : Genes are madeup of a complex molecule DNA that codes some genetic information for the transmission of inherited traits to the offsprings, but alleles are variant forms of genes. the genes will resides in two copies,ie. one from each parent, in specified locus. the copies are not necessarily the same. when the copies of gene different from each other called allele

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) ; It is a kond of hereditary material stored in the cell nucleus of almost all organisms and humans. these informations are stored as a code madeup of foru chemical bases : Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Thymine (T) amd Cytosine (C). The sequence of the code determine the maintaning nd building an organism

Chromosome:  As discussed above, the DNA is found in the nucleus of the cell. each DNA molecule is tightly packed into a thread like structure called chromosomes and it is coiled by a protein called histones to support the structure.

Human Gene Patency:

Patency is a set of rights granted by a state or intergovermental organization to a particular invester or any organization who first identifeid the genes. when the patency is provided then he has all rights to uses the genes in commercial or non commercial settings for a particular period of time.

According to the supreme court of US, it states that patency of human gene cannot be given to any companies because DNA is what the nature provide to us, nothing new is created, just discovering what the nature has given.

: