Mutations & Gene Editing

விளையாடிக் கற்றுக்கொள்ளுங்கள்

ஆற்றல் சம்பாதிக்க இந்த கேள்விகளுக்குப் பதிலளியுங்கள், பின்னர் மீன் பிடித்து ஆராயுங்கள். கணக்கு தேவையில்லை.

கல்வியாளர்களுக்கு: Mutations & Gene Editing (Biology, HL)-க்கான தயாரான பாட ஸ்லைடுகள், திருப்புதல் குறிப்புகள் — உங்கள் பாடத்தில் அவற்றைப் பயன்படுத்தவும், அல்லது கற்பவர்கள் நேரலை விளையாட்டாக விளையாடும் ஊடாடும் வகுப்பு செயல்பாடாக தலைப்பை இயக்கவும்.

பாட குறிப்புகள்

Gene Mutations: Types and Causes

  • A gene mutation is a change in the sequence of base pairs in a DNA molecule; this may result in a new allele.
  • Mutations occur randomly and all the time; they are more likely during DNA replication (S phase of interphase) due to copying errors.
  • Substitution mutations swap one nucleotide base for another; they only affect the triplet where the mutation occurs and have no knock-on effect.
  • Insertion mutations add an extra nucleotide, creating a new triplet and causing a frameshift that changes all subsequent triplets.
  • Deletion mutations remove a nucleotide, also causing a frameshift that alters the reading frame and changes the amino acid sequence downstream.
  • Mutagenic agents are environmental factors that increase mutation rate: high-energy radiation (UV light), ionising radiation (X-rays, gamma rays, α particles), and chemicals (benzo[a]pyrene, nitrosamines in tobacco smoke, mustard gas).
  • Internal mutagens include enzymes that break down DNA or produce mutagenic substrates; errors during DNA replication and repair can also cause mutations if not detected by DNA polymerase proofreading.

The sickle cell mutation

The sickle cell mutation

Consequences of Gene Mutations

  • Silent mutations do not alter the amino acid sequence because the genetic code is degenerate (multiple codons code for the same amino acid).
  • Missense mutations change a single amino acid in the polypeptide chain; sickle cell anaemia is caused by a single substitution mutation changing one amino acid.
  • Nonsense mutations create a premature stop codon, causing an incomplete polypeptide; cystic fibrosis can be caused by a nonsense mutation.
  • Insertions and deletions are point mutations that often cause frameshift mutations, completely changing the amino acid sequence after the mutation site and usually making the polypeptide non-functional.
  • Frameshift mutations are generally more harmful than substitutions because they affect how the entire mRNA sequence is read by ribosomes in codons (groups of three nucleotides).
  • Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are substitutions that occur normally throughout DNA, about once every 300 nucleotides, and can act as biological markers for disease-associated genes.

Mutations in Germ and Somatic Cells

  • Germ cells produce gametes via meiosis; mutations in these cells can be passed to offspring and future generations.
  • A mutation in a sperm cell can affect the zygote and all cells developed from it; a female with an inherited mutation can pass it on through her germ cells.
  • Somatic cell mutations are not inherited; they are associated with cancers and are eliminated when the cell dies.
  • Cancers arise from uncontrolled mitosis when mutations occur in genes that control cell division; a mutated gene that causes cancer is called an oncogene.
  • Most mutations do not lead to cancer because they result in early cell death or the cell being destroyed by the immune system.

Mutations and Genetic Variation

  • Variation refers to differences between organisms of the same species, such as coat colour in mammals or flower colour in plants.
  • Variation results from small differences in DNA base sequences, arising from mutation, meiosis, and random fertilisation during sexual reproduction.
  • Mutation is the original source of genetic variation and generates new alleles that can influence evolution.
  • Mutations in sex organ cells lead to changes in gamete alleles passed to the next generation; a new allele may be advantageous, disadvantageous, or neutral.
  • Advantageous alleles are more likely to be passed on because they increase survival and reproduction; disadvantageous mutations are more likely to die out.
  • Mutations are essential for evolution by natural selection in the long term; in asexually reproducing species, mutation is the only source of variation.

Gene Editing Techniques

  • Gene editing allows genetic engineers to alter DNA by inserting, deleting, or replacing DNA at specific sites in the genome known to cause disease.
  • It differs from genetic engineering because it modifies existing DNA rather than inserting DNA from another organism.
  • Older techniques included modifying viruses to insert DNA (sometimes causing unforeseen consequences) and spraying liposomes containing normal genes into noses (only a short-term solution).
  • CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is the most commonly used modern technique; it uses a guide RNA attached to the Cas9 enzyme to cut DNA at a specific point.
  • After cutting, scientists can insert, delete, or replace faulty DNA with normal DNA.
  • Gene editing is involved in gene therapies (e.g., for cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia), which treat genetic disease by altering the person's genotype.

Inserting a gene into a plasmid

Inserting a gene into a plasmid

Investigating Gene Function and Gene Knockout

  • The genome is the entire set of genetic material of an organism; the Human Genome Project (completed 2003) determined the DNA sequence of the entire human genome.
  • Gene knockout is a technique that removes a gene from the genome or makes it unusable to study the gene's function.
  • The organism with a knocked-out gene is called a knockout organism; common examples are laboratory mice.
  • Knockout organisms are used to study conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cancer likelihood, addiction, and cardiovascular disease.
  • A genetic library of knockout organisms exists, such as for the fungal species×Saccharomyces cerevisiae×, to understand drug mechanisms and target biological processes.

Ethical Issues in Gene Editing

  • Genetic engineering raises ethical issues around consent for genetic data, insurance companies requiring genetic test results, and legal control over data use, especially human genomes.
  • Ethics committees must approve all experiments and gain advice from world-leading experts; decisions tend to be made on a worldwide scale.
  • Countries have laws to protect participants in genetic technology research, and international committees make recommendations to governments and scientists.
  • The International Commission on the Clinical Use of Human Germline Genome Editing and the World Health Organisation (WHO) play key roles in creating guidance and best practices.
  • The challenge is to ensure all policymakers and countries work together to coordinate regulations, applied to all gene editing processes including CRISPR.

Conserved Sequences

  • A conserved sequence is a section of DNA or RNA that shows minimal mutations over time and tends to be identical or similar across a species or group of species.
  • Highly conserved sequences show little to no mutations over long evolutionary periods; examples include sequences for DNA replication, transcription, translation, and cellular respiration proteins.
  • Specific examples include sequences for DNA helicases, tRNA, ribosomes, and respiratory proteins cytochrome c and ferredoxin.
  • One hypothesis is that functional requirements maintain conserved sequences: genes essential for survival cannot tolerate mutations, so natural selection eliminates them.
  • Another hypothesis is that some DNA sequences have slower mutation rates because DNA repair and proofreading are more active in coding regions and highly functional genes.
  • Error correction is less active in non-coding DNA, so higher mutation rates are found there; lower mutation rates may reflect more frequent correction rather than fewer mutations.

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பயிற்சி கேள்விகள்

இலவச முன்னோட்டம் — 62-இல் 8 கேள்விகள். அனைத்தையும் பார்க்க பதிவு செய்யவும்.
  1. 1.What is a gene mutation?

    Easy
    • AA change in the sequence of base pairs in a DNA molecule
    • BA change in the number of chromosomes in a cell
    • CA change in the structure of a protein
    • DA change in the sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide
  2. 2.Which type of mutation involves a nucleotide base being randomly swapped for a different base?

    Easy
    • ASubstitution
    • BInsertion
    • CDeletion
    • DFrameshift
  3. 3.Which of the following are examples of mutagenic agents? (select all that apply)

    Medium
    • AUV light
    • BX-rays
    • CBenzo[a]pyrene
    • DDNA polymerase
    • EMustard gas
  4. 4.Mutations in somatic cells can be inherited by offspring.

    Easy

    True or false?

  5. 5.Which type of mutation creates a premature stop codon?

    Medium
    • ANonsense mutation
    • BMissense mutation
    • CSilent mutation
    • DFrameshift mutation
  6. 6.Which of the following are possible effects of a substitution mutation? (select all that apply)

    Medium
    • ASilent mutation
    • BMissense mutation
    • CNonsense mutation
    • DFrameshift mutation
    • EDeletion of a nucleotide
  7. 7.Match each type of mutation with its description.

    Medium
    • Silent mutation
    • Missense mutation
    • Nonsense mutation
    • Frameshift mutation
    • Does not alter the amino acid sequence
    • Alters a single amino acid in the polypeptide chain
    • Creates a premature stop codon
    • Changes the reading frame of the sequence
  8. 8.Place the following steps of the CRISPR gene editing process in the correct order.

    Medium
    • Cas9 enzyme cuts the DNA at the target site
    • Guide RNA binds to the target DNA sequence
    • The faulty DNA is repaired or replaced
    • The Cas9-guide RNA complex forms

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