Genetics - Part 2

 GENETICS - PART 2

CHROMOSOMAL MUTATION

 

DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID
•    DNA is a long chain polymer of deoxyribonucleotides.
•    Nucleotide is made up of 3 chemical groups
 

+ Phosphate group
•    Nitrogenous base are of two types - purines (9 membered double rings with nitrogen at 1, 3, 7 & 9th positions) and pyrimidines (6 membered rings with nitrogen at 1 and 3rd position).
•    Purines are of two types - adenine (A) and guanine (G) and pyrimidines are of three types - thymine (T), cytosine (C) and uracil (U).
•    A characteristics that differentiate DNA from RNA is that DNA contains all of the nitrogen bases except uracil and RNA contains all of the nitrogen bases except thymine.
•    Wilkins-Franklin carried out X ray diffraction (X-ray crystallography) on the basis of which Watson and Crick suggested secondary structure of DNA in 1953.
•    2 DNA strands are organized in antiparallel and complementary arrangement [i.e., 2 strands run in opposite orientation (one in 5' - 3' and allies in 3' - 5')].
•    Adenine pairs with thymine with 2 hydrogen bonds and guanine pairs with cytosine with three hydrogen bonds.
•    The helix is generally right handed. e. its mm run clockwise looking along the helix axis. The pitch of helix is 3.4 nm (1 nm =10−9) and there are 10bp in each turn.
•    The concept of central dogma in molecular biology was proposed by Francis Crick (1958). It proposes unidirectional or one way flow of information from DNA to RNA & then to protein.

EVOLUTION
•    It is the formation of newer types of organisms from the pre-existing ones through modification. Evolution is therefore, often called descent with modification.
•    Earth originated 4600 million years ago.
•    Life appeared 3.7 billion years ago. This is indicated by the discovery of microfossils of cyanobacteria like organisms.
•    Theory of spontaneous generation (Abiogenesis/autogenesis)
•    Given by Aristotle.
•    Life originated from non-living things in spontaneous manner.
•    Theory of Biogenesis
•    Life originated from pre-existing life.
•    Given by Francesco Redi.
•    Oparin- Haldane theory was supported experimentally by Miller-Urey experiment in 1953.

Discharge Apparatus - a large flask containing mixture of CH4, NH3, H2 andH2O with electric source and boiling of water for a week.
•    Miller observed dark condensed liquid which was analysed. Analysis reports concluded, that it was a mixture of ammo acids like alanine, glycine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, valine and leucine and number of other organic compounds like HCN, aldehyde and cyano compounds.

THEORIES OF EVOLUTION
Darwinism
•    Darwinism is the term coined for the explanation offered by Darwin for the origin of species by Natural selection in 1858.
•    Darwinism or theory of natural selection is a theory of organic evolution which states that new species evolve over a long period of time through accumulation of small variations which provide the organism with structural and functional superiority over others in their survival and differential reproduction.

Genetic Equilibrium (Hardy Weinberg Law)
•    Law states that "both gene frequency and genotype frequency" will remain constant from generation to generation in an infinitely large interbreeding population in which mating is random and no selection, migration or mutation occurs.
•    Hardy Weinberg formula or binomial expression is given as P2+2pq+q2=1 for two alleles A-and a.
•    Genetic drift refers to chance elimination of gene(s) of certain traits when a section of population migrates or dies of natural calamity. It eliminates certain alleles and fixes other alleles.
•    Genetic drift in a new colony is called founder effect.
•    Natural calamity like earthquake greatly reduces the size of population, killing the individuals randomly. The genetic pool of surviving population decreases. This condition of reduced genetic variability is called bottleneck effect.

Vestigial Organs
•    The useless and functionless degenerate structures which were large and functional in some other animals.
•    Examples: Vermiform appendix, coccyx, pinna muscle, wisdom tooth in humans, rudiments of hindlimbs in python.

Adaptive radiation
•    It is a special evolutionary pattern, characterized by a rapid increase in number of kinds of closely related species.
•    A good example of adaptive radiation is found among the Finches of Galapagos Islands. Another example is Australian Marsupials.

Biological evolution
•    It is the process of change over time, in the heritable characteristics, or traits of a population organisms.
•    Many experts believe that Australopithecus garhi or a similar species gave rise to the genus Homo.
•    Early hominids-members of the genus Homo-lived contemporaneously with Australopithecines for perhaps a half million years.
•    The oldest fossil remains of a member of the genus Homo were discovered in Tanzania. It was named H. habilis.
•    Homo erectus is the only other known extinct species of the genus Homo.
•    H. erectus was replaced in tropical regions by Homo sapiens about 200,000 years ago.