Genes Study
The study of all genus of various organisms
will yield answers to some of the
most intriguing questions about life: how
organisms evolved, whether synthetic
life will ever be possible and how to
treat a wide range of medical disorders.
Human genome contains all of the
biochemical instructions – in the form of the
DNA bases A, T, C and G-
for making and containing a human being. The payoff
from the reference work
will come from understanding the proteins encoded by the
genes. Proteins not
only make up the structural bulk of the human body but also
include the
enzymes that carry out the biochemical reactions of life. They are
composed
of unites called amino acids linked together in a long string: each
string
folds in a way that determines the function of a protein. The order of
the
amino acids set by the DNA base sequence of the gene that encodes a
given
protein, through intermediaries called RNA; genes that actively make
RNA are
said to be "expressed". The human gnome project seeks not just to
elucidate
all the proteins produced within a human but also to comprehend the
genes that
encode the proteins that are expressed, how the DNA sequences of
those genes
stack up against comparable genes of other species, how genes
vary within the
human species and how DNA sequences translate into observable
characteristics.
Layers of information built on top of the DNA sequence
will reveal the knowledge
imbedded in the DNA. These data will fuel advances
in biology for at least the
next century. In a virtuous cycle, the more
scientist learn, the more they will
be able to extrapolate, hypothesize, and
understand. Will the three dimensional
structures of proteins be predictable
from their amino acid sequences? A
protein’s structure is conserved much more
than its amino acid sequence is.
Many different amino acid sequences can
lead to proteins of various proteins by
studying a representative subset of
proteins in detail. Recently an
international group of consortium intends to
get the most information out of
each new structure to group proteins into
families that are most likely the same
architectural features. Then the
members of the consortium plan to target
representatives of each family for
examination by pain staking physical
techniques. Structural biologist work a
group of proteins into categories fro
the practical aim of solving structures
efficiently. The fact that proteins are
so amenable to classification
reverberates with biological meaning. It reflects
how life on the earth
evolved and opens the door to a question cameral to
understand in the
phenomenon of life itself. Is there a set of proteins common
to all
organisms? What are the biochemical processes required for life? Already
with
several fully sequenced gnomes available- mostly of bacteria- scientist
have
started to take inventories of genes conserved among these organisms,
guided
by the grand question of what constituted life, at least at the level of
a
single cell. If scientist invented a genome that crafts a cell around it
self
and the cell reproduced reliably, the exercises would prove that the
scientist
had deciphered the basic mechanisms of life. Such an experiment
would also raise
safety, ethical and theological issues that cannot be
neglected. Research of
single cells will be research of the past. The genome
project will spark similar
analysis for 1000 genes and cell components at a
time. Within the next
half-century, wit all genes identified and all possible
cellular interactions
and reactions charted, pharmacologist developing a drug
or toxicologist trying
to predict whether a substance is poisonous may well
turn to computer models to
answer their questions. Another question asked is
will the details of how genes
determine mammalian development become clear?
Being able to model a single cell
will be impressive, but to understand fully
the life-forms scientist are most
familiar with, they will plainly have to
consider additional levels of
complexity. Scientist will have to examine how
genes and their products behave
in place and time that is in different parts
of the body and in a body that
changes over a life span. So far developmental
biologists have striven to find
signals that are universally important in
establishing an animal’s body plan,
the arrangement of its limits and
origins. Understanding the human genome will
transform prevention, diagnostic
and therapeutic medicine. Molecular biology has
long held out the promise of
transforming medicine from a matter of serendipity
to a rational pursuit
grounded in a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms
of life. Its
findings have begun to infiltrate the practice of medicine; genomic
will
hasten the advance. Within fifty years, scientists expect
comprehensive
genomies-based on health care to be the norm in the U.S.
Scientist will
understand the molecular foundation of diseases, be able to
prevent them in many
cases, and design accurate, individual therapies for
illness. When the genome is
completely open to all, such studies will reveal
the roles of genes that
contribute weakly to diseases o n their own, but also
interact with other genes
and environmental influences such as diet infection
and prenatal exposure to
health. Within twenty year, novel drugs will be
available that derive from a
detailed molecular understanding of common
illnesses such as diabetes and high
blood pressure. The drugs will target
molecules logically and therefore be
potent without significant side effects.
The human species is more homogeneous
than many others; as a group, humans
display fewer variations than chimps do.
Among humans, the same genetic
variations tend to be found across all population
groups, and only a small
fraction of the total variation can be related to
differences between groups.
This has led to the conclusion that not so long ago
the human species was
composed of a small group, perhaps 10,000 individuals over
the earth only
recently. The modern humans originated in Africa and dispersed
gradually into
the rest of the world, race and ethnicity will prove to be
largely social and
cultural ideas; sharp scientifically based boundaries between
groups will be
found to be nonexistent. The tension between scientific advances
and the
desire to return to a simple and more "natural" lifestyle will
probably
intensify as genomic seeps in to mere and more of daily lives. The
challenge
will be to maintain a healthy balance and to shoulder collectively
the
responsibility for ensuring that the advances arising from genomics are
not put
to ill use.