Genes and the Human Condition

Question 1

What is the central Dogma og biology/ Major information pathway

Answer 1

• DNA replication
• DNA transcribed to RNA
• Information from RNA transfered to protein that specifies amino acid sequence

Question 2

What is Epigenetics?

Answer 2

Altering gene expression without changing DNA sequence

Question 3

What is Methylation?

Answer 3

Process in which methyl groups are added to DNA to effect how DNA is transcribed

Question 4

What can effect your methylation pattern?

Answer 4

• Imprinting - from mother and father
• Lifestyle - smoking and starvation can alter methylation of DNA
• Can also effect your children and grandchildren

Question 5

How is RNA read?

Answer 5

In 3 letter “words” called codons

Question 6

What can be the effect of mutations?

Answer 6

• Non-functional protein
• Partially functional protein
• A change in protein function
• No change
• Timing and level of expression

Question 7

What are the four units that make up DNA?

Answer 7

• A - adenine
• T - thymine
• G - guanine
• C- cytosine

Question 8

What are the two types of mutations?

Answer 8

• Somatic mutations - Mutations which occur in non-reproductive cells and are not passed to offspring
• Germ line mutations - Occur in reproductive cells

Question 9

What is an Allele?

Answer 9

The name for a diferent varation of a gene

Question 10

What is Pleiotropy?

Answer 10

Is when one gene impacts many trais

Question 11

What is Polygenic Inheritance?

Answer 11

When multiple genes affect a single phenotype

Question 12

What is Epistasis?

Answer 12

When one gene masks the expression of another gene/s

Question 13

What are the three steroid hormones?

Answer 13

• Cortisol
• Estrogen
• Testosterone

Question 14

What is the gene p53?

Answer 14

p53 is an important tumour suppressor

Question 15

What is the pax6 gene?

Answer 15

Gene which regulates eye development

Question 16

Are we more like baby chimps than adults?

Answer 16

Yes our spinal structure and skull shape is represented more in baby chimps. Baby chimps also share human curiosity whereas adult chimps lose that.

Process called Paedomorphic

Question 17

What is lissencephaly?

Answer 17

A cereberal cortex that contains no folds

Question 18

What are HARs?

Answer 18

Genes defined as “Human Accelerated regions”

Question 19

What does the ASPM gene do?

Answer 19

It regulated the amount of times cells divide in the cortex. Thereofre increasing brain size.

Those with defects often have smaller brains, the size of a chimp.

Question 20

What is the FOXP2 gene?

Answer 20

Dubbed as the language gene.

Coordinates jaw movements in chimps and mice.

Two mutations in human variation of gene which allow for complex sounds

Question 21

What is Oxytocin?

Answer 21

The cuddle hormone.

Important in social bonding

Question 22

What are chimps immune to that we are not?

Answer 22

• HIV
• Hepatitis
• Asthma
• Acne
• Many cancers

Question 23

What is the difference between Epidemiologists and Geneticists?

Answer 23

Epidemiologists study environmental causes of disease

Geneticists study genetic causes

Question 24

What percentage of our genome do we share with other species?

Answer 24

• 99.9% - other humans
• 94% - baboons

Question 25

What do primates at the bottom of the pecking order suffer from?

Answer 25

• Highest levels of cortisol
• Weakest immune system
• furred up coronary arteries
• lower control over lives
• higher stress
• lower serotonin levels

Question 26

What is serotonin?

Answer 26

• Monoamine neurotransmitter
• Contributes to well-being and happiness

Question 27

What is said to be the highest predictor of heart disease?

Answer 27

Status of your job

• Predicts better than
  
  • Obesity
  • Blood Pressure
  • Physiological causes

Question 28

What happenes when you have low Autonomy at your work?

Answer 28

• get stressed
• high cortisol
• lowered immune system

Question 29

What does studies of the Dutch Hunger Winter(1945) show?

Answer 29

• Populus reduced to less than 1000 calories a day due to german control
• Featuses of mothers underwent “Fetal programming”
• This caused them to develop a “thrifty metabolism”

Question 30

What effects did gastric bypass surgery have on children born. Possibly due to epigenetics?

Answer 30

Children born after gastric bypass surgery were 52% less likely to be obese than their siblings born while their mother was obese

Question 31

what is dopamine?

Answer 31

• a neurotransmitter associated with motivation
• Also relates to the anticipation of pleasure
• behind goal directed behaviour