Nieuws > Nieuws 2008-2009 > The World in 50 years
Project The World in 50 years (TTO)
TTO – 4VWO
DNA and the Genomic Revolution
Today, on the 22nd of October, we were happy to welcome Prof. Dr. Frederik-Jan van Schooten, a professor in Genetic Toxicology on the University of Maastricht. The presentation was about DNA, a very interesting and much talked about subject in the healthcare today.
At the beginning of the presentation we all got a bottle which contained the (isolated) DNA of a kiwi. This was very interesting to see, DNA looks really peculiar. You can isolate DNA because it’s really strong.
You can practically make a dinosaur if you just have a bit of the DNA of the remains of a dinosaur! But this we have fortunately, or maybe for some people (like me) unfortunately have not managed to do so, yet…
We were told that DNA is very important, because all living things contain DNA, from humans and animals, to plants and bacteria. The genes on the DNA contain all the information about that human or bacteria. You have half the information of your mother and half the information of you father, that’s why you look like them!
You can find DNA on the chromosomes which are in the nucleus of a cell. DNA is present in the form of a string, the so called DNA strands. These strands are 2 meters long per cell and can be found in each of the 10.000.000.000.000 cells in our body.
So if you would put a human into a blender and isolate its entire DNA, you would, not surprisingly, get a strand which is as long as fifty times the distance from the earth to the sun, and back!
On each DNA there are 20.000 genes which are made up out of proteins. These genes determine how you look. Each protein has a different function, but still all the cells within an individual contain the exact same genetic information. This would mean that all the cells would do the same work, if not different sets of genes could be turned ‘on’ and ‘off’ to make cells work differently.
Strangely, but luckily for us, this is the case.
DNA determines whether or not you have specific characteristics, like an attached or non-attached ear, or can’t do things which other people can, like rolling your tongue.
Today, on the 22nd of October, we were happy to welcome Prof. Dr. Frederik-Jan van Schooten, a professor in Genetic Toxicology on the University of Maastricht. The presentation was about DNA, a very interesting and much talked about subject in the healthcare today.
At the beginning of the presentation we all got a bottle which contained the (isolated) DNA of a kiwi. This was very interesting to see, DNA looks really peculiar. You can isolate DNA because it’s really strong.
You can practically make a dinosaur if you just have a bit of the DNA of the remains of a dinosaur! But this we have fortunately, or maybe for some people (like me) unfortunately have not managed to do so, yet…
We were told that DNA is very important, because all living things contain DNA, from humans and animals, to plants and bacteria. The genes on the DNA contain all the information about that human or bacteria. You have half the information of your mother and half the information of you father, that’s why you look like them!
You can find DNA on the chromosomes which are in the nucleus of a cell. DNA is present in the form of a string, the so called DNA strands. These strands are 2 meters long per cell and can be found in each of the 10.000.000.000.000 cells in our body.
So if you would put a human into a blender and isolate its entire DNA, you would, not surprisingly, get a strand which is as long as fifty times the distance from the earth to the sun, and back!
On each DNA there are 20.000 genes which are made up out of proteins. These genes determine how you look. Each protein has a different function, but still all the cells within an individual contain the exact same genetic information. This would mean that all the cells would do the same work, if not different sets of genes could be turned ‘on’ and ‘off’ to make cells work differently.
Strangely, but luckily for us, this is the case.
DNA determines whether or not you have specific characteristics, like an attached or non-attached ear, or can’t do things which other people can, like rolling your tongue.
DNA is made of four building blocks, the so called nucleotides: A, T, C and G. These nucleotides are arranged into strands, for example like AGGATCATGGCCTAGCATTAG.
The order of the nucleotides is called the sequence. Each gene contains 3 billion nucleotides. Just imagine that 3 billion nucleotides can fill up 200 phonebooks, each 1000 paged.
Each person has its own specific sequence and has at least one difference in every 1000 nucleotides with another person. Identical twins, however, do have the exact same genetic information. The differences between genetically identical twins is predominantly explained by environemental influences.
A multiple factorial disease, like cancer, is also determined by DNA, mostly as a result of the interaction of environmental factors or external influences (smoking, UV-radiation) with the genes. When DNA is damaged, this causes mutation of the normal cells. Normal cells would, for example, get the instruction: do not divide.
When this normal cell mutates, this can cause the instruction to change into: do divide, and leads the normal cell to transform into a highly dividing cancer cell.
But not everyone gets cancer. Some people who smoke get cancer, while others who smoke the same amount don’t. Just look at Churchill. He once said: “My rule of life prescribed smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if needed during all meals and in the intervals between them.”
However, Churchill didn’t get cancer, the lucky bastard. This was because Churchill had very strong genes, Churchill genes.
The order of the nucleotides is called the sequence. Each gene contains 3 billion nucleotides. Just imagine that 3 billion nucleotides can fill up 200 phonebooks, each 1000 paged.
Each person has its own specific sequence and has at least one difference in every 1000 nucleotides with another person. Identical twins, however, do have the exact same genetic information. The differences between genetically identical twins is predominantly explained by environemental influences.
A multiple factorial disease, like cancer, is also determined by DNA, mostly as a result of the interaction of environmental factors or external influences (smoking, UV-radiation) with the genes. When DNA is damaged, this causes mutation of the normal cells. Normal cells would, for example, get the instruction: do not divide.
When this normal cell mutates, this can cause the instruction to change into: do divide, and leads the normal cell to transform into a highly dividing cancer cell.
But not everyone gets cancer. Some people who smoke get cancer, while others who smoke the same amount don’t. Just look at Churchill. He once said: “My rule of life prescribed smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if needed during all meals and in the intervals between them.”
However, Churchill didn’t get cancer, the lucky bastard. This was because Churchill had very strong genes, Churchill genes.
Whether or not you get cancer is normally determined by the balance between toxication and detoxication. You can do a genetic test of which the results will give you personal advice on how to live in order to stay as healthy as possible.
Lots of research and projects have been done on DNA, like the Human Genome Project, in which DNA was collected from several volunteers and was placed into central databases around the world. Before this project, scientists estimated that humans contained 50.000-100.000 genes, which was proven wrong when the project showed that we have ‘only’ got 20.000 to 25.000 genes.
Current research is done on DNA, like research on analyzing genetic variation between individuals and populations, to find out for example why different populations and individuals are more sensitive to diseases.
As a result of our understanding of DNA, life-important questions can be answered, like which of your genes cause disease and which food will keep which individual healthy.
The progress of our knowledge of DNA is however difficult to predict, but I do think that Churchill did give it a good shot: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Bernou Boermann, V4B 22 October 2008
Lots of research and projects have been done on DNA, like the Human Genome Project, in which DNA was collected from several volunteers and was placed into central databases around the world. Before this project, scientists estimated that humans contained 50.000-100.000 genes, which was proven wrong when the project showed that we have ‘only’ got 20.000 to 25.000 genes.
Current research is done on DNA, like research on analyzing genetic variation between individuals and populations, to find out for example why different populations and individuals are more sensitive to diseases.
As a result of our understanding of DNA, life-important questions can be answered, like which of your genes cause disease and which food will keep which individual healthy.
The progress of our knowledge of DNA is however difficult to predict, but I do think that Churchill did give it a good shot: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Bernou Boermann, V4B 22 October 2008