Mutations (bio 102 wk 4 case)
In the Module 4 Case assignment you will have the opportunity to explore the new era of personalized medicine that uses genetic mapping to determine medical treatment. Watch the NOVA video: Cracking Your Genetic Code to learn more about the genetic technology available to us and what it means for medicine, ethics, and the future of human society.
After watching this video, proceed to the following resource and address the topics below in a 2-3 page paper http://www(dot)nature(dot)com/scitable/topicpage/genetic-mutation-1127
- Explain what a genetic mutation is and the difference between inherited mutations versus point mutations.
- Describe how the technology explained in "Cracking Your Genetic Code" can be used to detect mutations and predict your health.
- Form an opinion on whether or not you support utilizing genetic mapping to develop personalized medical treatment. Find evidence to support your opinion and cite your sources. What dangers do you see dangers in knowing our personal genome?
Assignment Expectations
This paper should be approximately 2-3 pages long and reflect the information contained in the resources provided above. When summarizing the information you read from the Nature website, NOVA video, or any resources you use to support your opinions, be sure to synthesize the information into your own words, and cite the references. Please use complete sentences and write your paper in essay format using subheadings to organize the required topics.
Mutations
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Introduction
Every living organisms is unique in it own way. This means that, other than the fact that one organism may look like the other in certain physical or physiological characteristics; they are not similar at several levels. One of the factors that identifies specifically with individual organism is their genetic coding. The genetic code defines the instructions set that led to the formation of the organism in question (Salahi & Ahuja, 2010). Sometimes these instructions may be flawed in a process called mutation causing certain attributes of the organs to be distorted.
Genetic mutations
Every genetic coding is determined by the sequence, where the genetic sequence of the organism experiences changes, there are mutations. There are a number of causes that can lead to the changes resulting to the mutations and the so are the variations of the consequences (Darnell & Lodish, 2014).
Types of mutation
Point mutations are the smallest mutations that can take place on the genetic sequence. The point mutations are basically referred as the smallest due to the nature of how they take place rather than the effect they may have on the organism. They take place when one of the base pairs is exchanged for another base pair. The inherited mutations, on the other hand, are passed down the reproduction lines, while the point mutations can be caused by factors of the environment (Darnell & Lodish, 2014).
Analyzing the genetic information of a person can be very crucial on several levels. It is through the genetic analysis that the mutations on the genetic sequence can be identified. Genetic mapping is thus one of the most common ways of identifying the genetic information at the cellular level. It is also the first step when it comes to defining the genes that are mutated in the sequence (Naggiar, 2014). The normal corresponding gene is isolates and the cloned for comparison and at the same time identify the proteins that are encoded. The chromosomes’ genetic map can be used to indicate the position of the genes, when compared to other chromosomes (Usatoday30.usatoday.com, 2014). A pair of chromosomes can be used to compare the gene on either of the strands, with respect to the sequencing and identify if there is any form ...