Genetics

The sciencegenetics dealsgenesbiological inheritance, by whichpredispositionparental traitspassedoffspring at conception. Humans began applying knowledgegeneticsprehistory withdomesticationbreedingplantsanimals. Within organisms, genetic information generallycarriedchromosomes, where itrepresented inchemical structureparticular DNA molecules.

Tablecontents

1 Closely-related fields 2 Brief history 3 Timelinenotable discoveriesgenetics 4 See also 4.1 Related topics 4.2 People workinggenetic research 4.3 Companies relatedgenetic research 4.4 Research institutes involvedgenetics research 4.4.1 Americas 4.4.2 Europe 4.4.3 Asia/Pacific 4.4.4 Africa 4.5 Genetic research watchdog organizations 5 External links 5.6 Related publications 5.7 Associations

Closely-related fields

The science which grew out ofunionbiochemistrygeneticswidely known as molecular biology. The term "genetics"often widely conflated withnotiongenetic engineering, whereDNAan organismmodifiedsome kindpractical end, but most researchgeneticsaimed at understandingexplainingeffectgenes on phenotypesinrolegenespopulations (see population genetics), rather than genetic engineering. A more recent development isrisegenomics, which attemptsstudylarge-scale genetic patterns acrossgenome(andprinciple, allDNA in)given species.

The studyinherited features not strictly associatedchanges inDNA sequencecalled epigenetics.

Some takeview that life can be defined,molecular terms, assetstrategies which RNA polynucleotides have usedcontinueuseperpetuate themselves. This definition grows outwork onoriginlife, specificallyRNA world hypothesis.

Brief history

It wasn't until 1865 that Gregor Mendel first traced inheritance patternscertain traitspea plantsshowed thatobeyed simple statistical rules. Although not all features show this Mendelian inheritance, his work acted asproof that applicationstatisticsinheritance could be highly useful. Since that time many more complex formsinheritance have been demonstrated.

From his statistical analysis Mendel definedconcept that he described as an allele, which wasfundamental unitheredity. The term allele as Mendel used itnearly synonymous withterm gene, whilstterm allele now meansspecific variant ofparticular gene.

The significanceMendel's work was not understood until early intwentieth century, after his death, when his research was re-discovered by other scientists working on similar problems.

Mendel was unaware ofphysical nature ofgene. We now know that genetic informationnormally carried on DNA. (Certain viruses store their genetic informationRNA). ManipulationDNA canturn alterinheritancefeaturesvarious organisms.

Genes encodeinformation necessarysynthesizing proteins, which,turn playlarge roleinfluencing, although do not completely determine,final phenotype oforganism.

Timelinenotable discoveriesgenetics

1859 Charles Darwin publishes The OriginSpecies

1865 Gregor Mendel's paper, Experiments on Plant Hybridization

1903 Chromosomesdiscoveredbe hereditary units

1905 British biologist William Bateson coinsterm "genetics" inletterAdam Sedgwick

1910 Chromosomes include genes

1913 Gene maps show chromosomes containing linear arranged genes

1927 Physical changesgenescalled mutations

1928 Frederick Griffith discovereshereditary molecule thattransmissible between bacteria (see Griffiths experiment)

1931 Crossing over iscauserecombination

1944 Oswald Theodore Avery, Colin McLeodMaclyn McCarty isolate DNA asgenetic material (at that time called transforming principle)

1945 Genes code for proteins; seeoriginal central dogmagenetics

1950 Erwin Chargaff shows thatfour nucleotidesnot presentnucleic acidsstable proportions, but that some general rules appearhold (e.g., thatamountadenine, A, tendsbe equalthatthymine, T).

1952 The Hershey-Chase experiment provesgenetic informationphages (and all other organisms)be DNA

1953 DNA structureresolvedbedouble helix by James WatsonFrancis Crick

1958 The Meselson-Stahl experiment demonstrates that DNAsemiconservatively replicated

1961 The genetic codearrangedtriplets

1977 DNAsequenced

1997 First genome sequenced

2001 First draft sequences ofhuman genomereleased simultaneously byHuman Genome ProjectCelera Genomics.

2003 (14 April) Successful completionHuman Genome Project99% ofgenome sequenced to99.99% accuracy [1]

See also

Related topics

• biology
• genetic screen
• genomics
• central dogmagenetics
• gene regulatory network

People workinggenetic research

• Craig Venter
• Svante Pääbo

Companies relatedgenetic research

• Affymetrix, UK [1]
• Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA [1]
• Celera Genomics
• Genentech, San Francisco, CA [1]
• Applera Norwalk, CT [1]
• Genetix, Hampshire, UK [1]

Research institutes involvedgenetics research

Americas

• Arizona, USA
  • Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix foundedJuly2002 [1]

• Arkansas, USA
  • Whitetail Genetic Research Institute, Jerusalem, [1]

• California, USA
  • Genetic Information Research Institute, Mountain View founded 1994 [1]
  • Stanford University, Stanford, California [1]

• Florida, USA
  • UniversityFlorida Genetics Institute, Miami [1]

• Maryland, USA
  • The InstituteGenetic Research, founded1992 by Craig Venter
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase [1]

• Massachusetts, USA
  • Whitehead Institute CenterGenome Research, Cambridge, USA, [1]

• Washington, DC, USA
  • Research InstituteGeneticHuman Therapy - Instituto di Ricerca per la Terapia Genetica Umana, [1]

• USA
  • Center forAdvancementGenomics
  • National Human Genome Research Institute founded 1989 [1]
  • Washington University, St. Louis, [1]

Europe

• Austria
  • Institut für Forstgenetik, Vienna [1]

• Germany
  • Zentrum für genetische Forschung, (partMax-Planck-Institute für Psychiatrie und Biochemie) München
  • Institut für Humangenetik, Hamburg [1]
  • Institut für Humangenetik, (Klinikum der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg), Heidelberg [1]
  • Institut für Humangenetik, (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität), Erlangen-Nürnberg [1]
  • Institut für Humangenetik (Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität), Bonn [1]
  • Institut für Humangenetik, (Universität Lübeck), Lübeck [1]
  • Max Planck InstituteMolecular Genetics, Berlin [1]
  • European Molecular Biology Lab, Heidelberg

• Italy
  • International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Maccarese (Fiumicino) [1]

• UK
  • DepartmentGenetics, UniversityCambridge [1]
  • Imperial College GeneticsGenomics Research Institute, Hammersmith Hospital, London [1]

Asia/Pacific

• Australia
  • Commonwealth ScientificIndustrial Research Organisation [1]

• Hong Kong
  • Chinese UniversityHong Kong, [1]
  • Hong Kong InstituteBiotechnology, [1]
  • InstituteMolecular Biology, Hong Kong, [1]

• China
  • Beijing Genomics Institute, Beijing [1]
  • The National Human Genome CentreSouthern China, Shanghai
  • The National Human Genome CentreNorthern China, Beijing
  • Huada Human Genome Research Centre
  • Bio Island Haizhu, Guangzhou [1]
  • The Human Genome Centre ofChinese AcademyScience (CAS)

• Singapore
  • Biopolis, Singapore [1]
  • Genome InstituteSingapore [1]
  • Bioinformatik Institute, Singapore [1]
  • InstituteMolecularCell Biology [1]
  • Bioinformatics Center, Singapore [1]

Africa

• Kenya
  • International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, [1]

Genetic research watchdog organizations

• GeneWatch [1], UK
• Smallpox Bio Security [1] Conference 21-22 Oct 2003, Geneva, Switzerland
• Sunshine Project [1], Hamburg, GermanyAustin, |TX

External links

Related publications

• Cell
• Molecular Cell
• Nature Genetics
• Nature Neuroscience
• Human Molecular Genetics
• Proceedings ofNational AcademySciences (PNAS) [1]
• American JournalHuman Genetics
• TrendsEndocrinology Met
• Nature Genomics
• European JournalHuman Genetics
• Pharmacogenetics
• Endocrinology Journal
• JournalClinical EndorcrinologyMetabolism JCEM
• JournalMedical Genetics
• Advanced Genetics
• Annual ReviewsGenetics
• Nature Reviews Genetics
• JournalVirology
• New Scientist [1]

Associations

• EBNIC isEuropean Biotechnology NodeinteractionChina