proteins in mammalian PC12
The behaviour of long polyglutamine-containing proteins in mammalian PC12 cells Project report in partial fulfilment for the degree of MSc in Neuroscience August 2008 Janahi Visakan Supervised by Dr Angela Hodges Department Of Neuroscience Institute of Psychiatry King's College London University Of London The behaviour of long polyglutamine-containing proteins in mammalian PC12 cells Abstract Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant, inherited neurodegenerative disorder induced by a glutamine expansion repeat at the N-terminal end of the huintingtin protein. These N-terminal fragments of huntingtin aggregate in the nucleus and destroy cells. This genetic disorder is accompanied by motor, cognitive, personality changes and psychiatric symptoms. If the number of glutamine residues increase to more than 37, then this induces an adult, onset gradual progressive neurodegeneration known as HD.The genome of D.discoideum, a social amoeba consists of polyglutamine fragments longer than 40 residues. These long polyglutamine fragments do not confer any toxic effects .In addition the genome sequencing of D.discoideum has demonstrated that this organism is able to withstand a large number of proteins containing long polyglutamine stretches. A synthetically generated CAAX repeat construct was clone d into a mammalian expression vector using the gateway system (Invitrogen) to
Sameness of Twins
The Sameness of Twins: A Critique of Literature The root word of twinning is twine, suggesting a double thread. This is acknowledged as global human trait and is intrinsically part of what is inherited. The incidence of twinning differs, ranging from 1 out of 30 births among Nigerians, to as rare as 1 in 150 births among Japanese. The distinction between monozygous and dizygous twins lies in the fact that monozygous twins arise from the same ovum, while dizygous twins hail from separate ova (Medawar & Medawar, 1983; Thompson & Thompson, 1980). Figure 1. Formation of identical and fraternal twins. Source: http://www.pennhealth.com/health_info/pregnancy/graphics/images/en/19745.jpg It has been widely acknowledged in biological sciences (Medawar & Medawar, 1983), genetics (King, 1968), and immunology (Humphrey & White, 1970) that monozygous twins are "genetically identical". However, the current paper now comes to question where this identicality ceases. Their differences are attested to by the physical and pathologic distinctions found across empirical studies (Milne, 1976; Osborne & De George, 1959; Schimke, 1978; Stern,1973). Schimke (1978) asserts that these distinctions come from "environmental differences, cytoplasmic differences, equations of heritability versus variability, non-penetrance of the heritable mutant gene, gonadal mutation, and premutation."
The Female Orgasm: Adaptation, Artefact or culturally learned? ( Department of Psychology - University of Liverpool)
The Human Female Orgasm: Adaptation, Artefact, or culturally learned? Rajat Passy Department of Psychology University of Liverpool Liverpool United Kingdom The Human Female Orgasm: Adaptation, Artefact, or culturally learned? Word Count: 2958 (excluding in-text and end-text referencing and quotations) The female orgasm has been a source of fascination for a variety of groups from sex researchers to the lay public, and evolutionary psychologists are no exception. Evolutionists have not had much difficulty explaining the male orgasm, due to its direct relationship with reproduction. But the Darwinian rationale behind the female orgasm has remained elusive. Women are able to have sexual intercourse and even conceive a child - doing their part for the perpetuation of the species - without experiencing orgasm (Smith NY times, 2005). Unlike the unicorn, (which is specially interesting precisely because it does not exist) or extrasensory perception (which probably does not exist but is interesting because of the possibility that it might) or the above mentioned male orgasm (which exists with monotonous regularity and for the most part is interesting only to people directly involved in one) the female orgasm definitely exists and yet arouses interest, debate, ideology, technical manuals and popular literature simply because it is so often absent (Symons, 1979). There have
SERUM LIPID PROFILE
A SEMINAR ON SERUM LIPID PROFILE DURING PREGNANCY PRESENTED BY ANJORIN SEUN STEPHEN MAT NO: BMS0700993 DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY FACULTY OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES COLLEGE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF BENIN SUPERVISED BY: DR (MRS) M.I EBOMOYI SEPTEMBER, 2011 SUMMARY During pregnancy, women undergo many physiological changes which are entirely normal including cardiovascular, hematologic, metabolic, renal and respiratory changes that become very important in the event of complications. These changes in physiological and homeostatic mechanisms during pregnancy are to ensure the fetus is well provided for. Pregnancy has being found to be associated with changes in lipid profile (Total cholesterol TC, Low-Density lipoprotein LDL, Triaclylglycerol TAG and High-Density lipoprotein HDL) and this differs with each trimester Some previous studies had showed that the most dramatic change in the lipid profile in normal pregnancy is serum hypertriglyceridemia, which may be as high as two to three folds in the third trimester over the levels in non pregnant women (Idonije et al., 2011; Chiang et al., 1995). The major physiologic function of the increase in the maternal lipid profile during pregnancy especially in the third trimester is in response to the maternal switch from carbohydrate to fat metabolism which is an
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an in vitro technique, which allows the amplification of a specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) region that lies between two regions of known DNA sequenc
THE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an in vitro technique, which allows the amplification of a specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) region that lies between two regions of known DNA sequence1,2. It is the most widely used target amplification technique that is found in molecular biology. This technique, which was first described by Saiki et al3 and Mullis et al4, has made it possible to detect and quantitate rare target nucleic acid sequences isolated from cell, tissue or blood samples5. The basis of this technique is the ability of DNA polymerase to extend an oligodeoxyribonucleotide primer that is specifically hybridized to a single-stranded DNA template5. Such amplification of DNA is achieved by using oligonucleotide primers or amplimers1. These are short, single-stranded DNA molecules which are complementary to the ends of a defined sequence of DNA template1. A DNA polymerase will enable the primers to extend on single-stranded denatured DNA (template), in the presence of deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) under suitable conditions1. New DNA strands are synthesized and bound complementary to the template strands as double-stranded DNA molecules1. Basically, PCR consists of three thermally separated steps: denaturation at 95°C to ensure complete separation of DNA duplexes into single-stranded molecules; annealing at a temperature
Issues in Food and Nutrition Essay
Issues in Food and Nutrition Essay "The evolution of the human diet is of great interest to anthropologists, biologists and nutritionists alike. The evidence base each discipline utilises in their research is varied, both in nature and quality. Critically discuss the evolution of the human diet and evaluate the methodologies employed by different disciplines in developing this knowledge," Every human being has a primary purpose and is always trying to fulfil their needs and wants. This has been to satisfy the structural and functional needs providing energy and nutrients so that the body has a constant balance. The human diet is based around behavioural influences by both culture (developing world) and technological (developed world) Over the years the human diet has had many influences, improvements in treatments, experiments, and inventions these have all lead us to develop a greater knowledge of the best foods, when to eat them and how much to eat of them. Cost has always played a major role in the human diet. Evolution of the diet started with the domestication of livestock this considerably changed the supply of food. The introduction of agriculture showed that there was an interrelation between food supply and cost. When stable, balanced healthy human diets were first introduced it was in conjunction with the start of food production. This chain of production lead to
Contrast the Biological Differences between Heterosexual Males and Homosexual Males
Contrast the Biological Differences between Heterosexual Males and Homosexual Males Tavis Ryan King Introduction Discussion regarding the biological differences between heterosexual males and homosexual males is challenging. Unlike studying sexual differences between men and women, the contrasting points tend to be difficult to detect. However, research has discovered biological differences in the fields of biology, genetics, and psychology that could be indicative of differences. What is more difficult than finding these trends though, is explaining their aetiology. As a result, much of the discussion to explain biological differences goes back to the developmental causes of homosexual behaviour that are not yet solidly founded due to ethical (e.g. experimenting on a neonate) or technological limitations. Irrespective of this, the aim of this paper is to first explain how the development of heterosexual men and homosexual men differ based on the effects of hormones during neonatal development, brain development, genetic make-up and birth order. These four concepts are related and researchers from these approaches often cite one another in their studies. Lastly, sexually dimorphic patterns typically seen differentiating men and women also appear as a contrast between heterosexual men and homosexual men. These trends will be discussed but as their aetiology is also
Nutrition is the relationship of foods to the health of the human body.
Nutrition is the relationship of foods to the health of the human body. Proper nutrition means receiving enough foods and supplements for the body to function at optimal capacity. It is important to remember that no single nutrient or activity can maintain optimal health and well being, although it has been proven that some nutrients are more important than others. All of the nutrients are necessary in different amounts along with exercise to maintain proper health. There are six main types of nutrients used to maintain body health. They are: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. They all must be in balance for the body to function properly. There are also five major food groups. The groups are: fats and oils, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, grains, and meats. A healthy diet and nutrition are important factors that help to keep our body in good health through our entire life. Food is very important to our life. Food provides nutrition for the human body's health. To stay healthy we should understand the inseparable relationship between diet and nutrition. When first starting this assignment I didn't think that I was going to learn anything new that I didn't already know about my eating habits. After writing down a days worth of food and drink and then analysing all the information and actually calculating out everything, I
Life cycle
Chapter 8 Objectives . Understand the concept of a life cycle as a repeating series of processes and phases from one generation to the next. 2. Describe binary fission in bacteria and distinguish the process from cell division in eukaryotes. 3. Outline the general progression and overall results of meiosis and contrast them with the process of mitosis. 4. Explain the ways that meiosis provides possibilities for genetic recombination i.e. independent orientation of chromosomes, random fertilization and crossing over. 5. Understand that crossing over during prophase I produces new combination of genes. Tetrads are formed during prophase I. 6. Name the factors controlling cells growth. 7. Explain the way meiosis provides possibilities for genetic recombination. I. Introduction. A life cycle is the sequence of life forms (and the processes forming them) from one generation to the next. . Sexual reproduction involves passing traits from two parents to the next generation. 2 . Asexual reproduction involves passing traits from only one parent to the next generation. 3 . Cell division is the basis of all of the processes (developmental or reproductive) that link the phases in a life cycle. II. Connections Between Cell Division and Reproduction. A. Like begets (forms) like. (a dog with reproduce forming an likeness of him/her self). . This is strictly true
Mitochondrial genetics. Are there really only maternally inherited mitochondria in our cells? What happens if paternal mitochondria happen to be present in the autosomal/germ cells? Is maternal mtDNA inheritance a universal mechanism that works for the en
Hypothesis. Mothers pass on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to their offspring. Paternal mtDNA is considered to cause abnormalities in the most mammalian and human organisms. Research Question. Is it true? Are there really only maternally inherited mitochondria in our cells? What happens if paternal mitochondria happen to be present in the autosomal/germ cells? Is maternal mtDNA inheritance a universal mechanism that works for the entire living creatures and what are the benefits? Mitochondrion is an organelle with a specific subset of its own DNA (mtDNA), which different from chromosomal DNA in most organisms. Its DNA is a plasmid, - an unwrapped circular bacterial DNA molecule. According to the recent hypotheses, a mitochondrion as a bacterium had potentially merged with the single eukaryotic cell to form symbiotic relationships. These 'infected' cells had further formed organisms - ancestors of present species. Organisms had inherited mitochondria through thousands of years. One of the most interesting observations made by recent studies is the pattern of mtDNA inheritance in humans and most eukaryotic multicellular organisms excluding hybrids (interspecific crosses) and plants (Foley, 2003; Hayashida, 2005). In humans it is strictly a mother who passes mtDNA on to the offspring, while hybrids receive and express both maternal and paternal inheritance in different