Factoids Flashcards
How does methylation of cytosine repress genes?
The carbon at the 5th position in the pyrimidine is methylated. The methylated CpG dinucleotide recruits methyl-CpG-binding proteins (ex: MECP2), which recruit chromatin remodeling enzymes to silence transcription.
How can methylation activate gene expression?
3’ CpG methylation confers cell- and tissue-specific gene expression.
Is methylation a stable marker?
Yes, it can be transmitted through cell division, though may cancers show altered methylation states.
What is epigenetics?
mitotically and meiotically heritable variations in gene expression that are not caused by changes in DNA sequence.
Reversible, post-translational modifications of histones and DNA methylation are examples of epigenetic mechanisms that alter chromatin structure, thereby affecting gene expression.
When are methylation markers established?
Methylation is established in the gamete and stably maintained in the somatic cells
Is DNA methylation irreversible?
No, it can be reset during gametogenesis to transmit the appropriate sex-specific imprint to progeny.
How do newly synthesized strands of DNA get methylated?
Maintenance Methyltransferase
What mechanisms can cause PWS?
Deletion of paternal 15q11-13
Disomy of maternal 15
Imprinting center mutation on paternal allele
What mechanisms can cause AS?
Deletion of maternal 15q11-13
Paternal uniparental disomy
Imprinting center mutation on maternal allele
Mutation of UBE3A on maternal allele
What causes deletion in 15q11-13?
Breakpoints occur in the vicinity of low copy repeats of the HERC2 gene, which may be involved in inter- and intrachromosomal misalignment and homologous recombination.
What do defects in the beta-globin gene cause?
Hemoglobin disorders
What do defects in the BRCA1 gene cause?
Breast and ovarian cancers
What do defects in the beta-myosin heavy chain (MYH7) gene cause?
Inherited hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Which chromosome(s) is(are) gene rich?
chromosome 19
Which chromosome(s) is(are) gene poor?
chromosomes 13, 18, 21 (viable trisomies)
What are some unstable regions of the genome that cause disease?
SMA (5q13), DiGeorge Syndrome (chr22q), 12 diseases associated with 1q21.1
What were the two human genome project approaches?
- Construct clone map and select for clones, then generate several thousand sequence reads per clone and assemble.
- Generate tens of millions of sequence reads then assemble.
Large tandem repeats of a specific pentanucleotide sequence exist on the inert regions of which chromosomes?
1, 9, 16, and make up more than half of the Y chromosome
Where is the alpha-satellite family found and how long is the repeated unit?
centromere of each human chromosome and 171 bp. May be important for chromosome segregation in meiosis and mitosis
What is the Alu family?
It is a 300 bp dispersed repeat in the genome with ~500,000 copies in the genome, accounting for ~10% (SINE: Short INterspersed repetitive Elements)
What is the LINE (Long INterspersed nuclear Element or L1) family?
It is a 6 kb dispersed repeat in the genome with ~100,000 copies.
What are the medical implications of Alu and L1 families?
- They can retrotranspose, causing insertional inactivation
2. They can cause non-allelic homologous recombination, leading to microdeletions or microduplications
Name and describe the two types of indels
- Minisatellites: tandemly repeated 10-100 bp units. VNTRs
2. Microsatellites: 2-4 bp repeats. 5x10^4 per genome
How do you test for CNVs?
Array Comparative Genome Hybridization (Array CGH)
What is a gene family?
Genes that have high sequence similarity and similar but distinct function. Gene families arise from duplication.
What is genome “structural variation”?
Any change in the genome not due to a singly nucleotide substitution