14-3 Human Molecular Genetics

Testing for Alleles

• Genetic tests are now available for hundreds of disorderso Tay-Sachso Cystic Fibrosiso Sickle Cell

• Helps parents see what disorders they risk passing to their children

DNA Fingerprinting• Analysis of sections of

DNA that have little or no known function, but vary widely from one individual to another, in order to identify individuals.

• What does this mean? How is it done?

What is DNA Fingerprinting used for?

Paternity TestingMissing

Persons

Forensic Science (Crime Investigations & Body Identification)

Review

The Human Genome Project

• It took 10 years to sequence all 46 chromosomes (1990 – 2000)

• Human genome = roughly 3,000,000,000 base pairs (3 billion bp)

• How is it done?

E. coli genome ≈ 5 million base pairs.

Loblolly pine ≈ 23 billion base pairs

Human genome ≈ roughly 3 billion base pairs

Longest Genome

Sequence to Date

• 21,000 genes are on the 46 chromosomes in the Human Genome

Gene Therapy• The process of

changing the gene that causes a genetic disorder by using a recombinant virus (vector) to insert an unaffected gene into the DNA.

• An absent or faulty gene is replaced by a normal, working gene.