Exam 5: Molecular Medicine Flashcards
adenosine deaminase (ADA)
absence of ADA enzyme causes severe immunodeficiency
required for breakdown of deoxyadenosine - without ADA deoxyadenosine accumulates and is converted to dATP (toxic)
Lymphocytes can’t prevent dATP accumulation through dAMP degradation - leads to loss of lymphocytes and immune function
gene therapy to introduce wildtype ADA gene into lymphocyte cells
amniocentesis
Prenatal diagnosis of genetic disease
Amniotic fluid is withdrawn with a needle at 15/16 weeks gestation.
Fluid contains fetal skin cells
Amplification Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP)
variation of length of amplified fragments detected during PCR
due to insertions or deletions between primer binding sites
antigen
molecule that induces an immune response
B-lymphocytes produce antibodies (bind to certain domain of antigenic agent) in response to antigen
artificial chromosomes
autonomously replicating gene delivery vectors for non-viral gene therapy
No insertion into genome required for stable expression, no size limit
However unpredictable chromosomal events happen during mitosis
autoimmune diseases
immune system falsely identifies proteins of body as antigens and attacks its own tissues and organs fairly common (affect 5% of population) Autoimmune antibodies can be detected by indirect ELISA
B-lymphocytes in antibody production
after detecting antigen, B-cells proliferate and produce antibodies that bind to antigen
Each B-cell produces only one type of antibody molecule
chorionic vilus sampling
for prenatal diagnosis of genetic disease
cells are taken from chorion with needle at 10-12 weeks gestation
cells are extraembryonic - chance of missing a mosaicism
Comparative Genome Hybridization (CGH)
used to detect copy number variation
uses DNA to detect insertions, deletions, and aneuploidies in the kilo to megabase range
single stranded DNA labelled with fluorescent dye & mixed and hybridized to metaphase chromosomes
CNV detected by uneven labeling of template chromosome (excess of patient fluorescence indicates duplication of pt’s genome; excess in control genome indicate pt deletion)
complementary DNA (cDNA)
template for reverse-transcriptase PCR for RNA analysis
reverse transcription of RNA into cDNA by enzyme reverse transcriptase
copy number variation (CNV)
insertions or deletions cause structural variation in DNA, cell has a variation in number of copies of one or more sections of DNA
most are benign polymorphisms, but can cause disorders
Relatively small, so G-banding of metaphase chromosomes does not offer enough resolution to detect
cystic fibrosis (CF) gene therapy
in vivo gene therapy - deliver functional copy of CFTR gene into lung epithelial cells
adenovirus vector delivers gene into cells & induces production of CFTR protein
Needs frequent reapplication of therapeutic virus because cured cells recognized and destroyed by immune system
DNA-microarrays
thousands of oligonucleotide spots can be printed on area of a square inch using low amounts of DNA (because amplification is required)
Can test for presence of all known mutant alleles of hundreds of different genes - allow genetic screening of pt for all known mutant alleles
epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor
receptor protein-tyrosine kinase on cell surface coded by ErbB2 gene (overexpressed in some types of breast cancer) - tumor cells have a lot of EGF receptors
Antibody (Herceptin/Trastuzumab) binds to receptors and inhibits proliferation of tumors caused by HER2/Neu oncogene
epitope
part of antigen recognized by immune system, domain of antigen where antibodies bind
ex vivo gene therapy
manipulation of cells in gene therapy outside body
assumed safer than in vivo - effect of manipulation assessed in lab before inside pt
Cells have to be removed from pt, manipulated in lab, and re-implanted into pt
cells of epithelia or muscles cannot be harvested - can’t use ex vivo gene therapy on these cells
Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH)
allows identification of a chromosomal locus on a metaphase chromosome by hybridization with a specific fluorescent probe
Used to detect Copy Number Variations (CNV)
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
specifies that no individual can be discriminated against based on genetic information
genetic screening with microarrays
microarrays allow for screening of patient for all known mutant alleles in a single experiment
germ-line gene therapy
alter genome of reproductive cells
permanently alters genetic composition of individual and its offspring - prohibited because of ethical concerns
HER2/Neu
also known as ErbB2 gene - encodes for epidermal growth factor receptor
in 30% of breast cancers, ERB-2 gene is amplified and becomes an oncogene
Herceptin
antibody for therapy of metastatic breast cancer
binds to ErbB-2 receptors and inhibits proliferation of tumors caused by HER2/Neu
Also called Trastuzumab
HIPAA
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act protects privacy of medical records, including genetic data
HIV infection
if pt is infected with HIV, they will have antibodies against HIV-core proteins
these antibodies can be detected using indirect ELISA - viral core proteins bound to well serve as antigens which bind to HIV antibodies and change color in reaction well
hybridoma cells
created from fusion of B-lymphocyte fraction (post antibody stimulation) and myeloma cell line
immortal and produces antibodies
one hybridoma cell line selected for by quality and specificity of antibodies it produces and can be grown and used in clinical applications
immune response in gene therapy
body has a high antiviral defense system to prevent viruses from modifying genome
Use of viral gene delivery in gene therapy can be tricky - want to insert desired gene to as many cells as possible without being too aggressive and triggering a massive immune response