Essays on Mitochondrial DNA

Abstract

A polymerase chain reaction also known as PCR refers to a technique that is used in the amplification of a DNA fragment making huge numbers of the original fragment. The process uses an enzyme known as DNA polymerase to multiply the DNA fragment. Other components that are necessary for a PCR reaction are the DNA template that is provided by the sample being multiplied, the primers, and nucleotides. The experiment aimed to examine a number of human DNA polymorphisms, the PV92 Alu polymorphism and the mitochondrial control region using human DNA. This was achieved by isolating the mitochondrial DNA from the mouth cells ...

Question 1

The type of bloodstain evidence at the scene is a cast off pattern. According to Becker (2005), a cast-off pattern normally results in blood striking nearby surfaces such as walls, floors and ceilings. A cast-off pattern indicates that a blunt force trauma to the head. The large wound on top of the head is indicative of repeated use of the blunt force weapon on the victim. The first step in the documentation process of the room would involve conducting an initial scan of the room to ascertain the evidence present. This would then be followed by photographing of the scene in ...

Genes are contained in an organelle referred to as mitochondria. This organelle is responsible for providing the body with the energy needed to run all the cellular activities. Mitochondria contain their own genome that is specific to a particular organism. This is essentially distinct from the nuclear genome that is obtained from both the father and mother and is harbored in the nucleus; as the mitochondrion genes are inherited exclusively from the mother. mtDNA occur in numerous numbers in the cell owing to their small size and they do not undergo recombination. They are the genetic markers that have been ...

I employed various avenues of tracking down information concerning my haplogroup and what it meant to be a member of my haplogroup. First, I opened the link given by the Professor to determine the various haplogroups, the HVS-1 motifs, the 73 status and the coding-region mutations. I studied each of the haplogroups and their corresponding HVS-1 motifs, their status and their coding-region mutations. I examined the transitions of the reference sequences basing on the indicated explicit HVS-1 positions. I identified a selection of the given coding-region mutations shown by the RFLP analysis. From my report, I aligned my sequence and recorded ...

Facts and Conclusion

Facts and Conclusion Before we describe what three-parent in vitro fertilization is, let us first define what in vitro fertilization (I.V.F) is in the first place. In vitro fertilization is a process wherein the man’s sperm and a woman’s egg are fertilized outside the woman’s body (Storck, 2014). Once fertilization occurs and the fertilized egg divides to become an embryo, the embryo is placed in the uterus (womb) of the woman. Pregnancy in this sense happens once the embryo attaches to the lining of the uterus (Storck, 2014). The process of in vitro fertilization is often ...

Abstract:

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is hereditary material found in most organisms and carries the genetic information required to build and maintain a living organism. DNA was first discovered in the late 1800's, but it was not until scientists unraveled its structure in the 1950s that its importance in genetics and the whole field of biological sciences became realized. This paper assesses the structure, history and applications of DNA into solving real world problems in medicine, agriculture, biochemical research and forensics. DNA can replicate itself which ensures that genetic information and consequently biological traits can be passed on from one generation to ...

Neanderthals are the members of the genus Homo and are known extinct relatives of Homo sapiens. A large amount of fossils and other archives have been collected that has substantiated the presence of these mysterious beings. The first skeletal fossils of Neanderthals were discovered in Germany in 1856, in the Neander Valley, where a group of quarrymen found 16 bone pieces including a skull, which they thought to be a bear. The bones were analyzed to determine that the fossils belonged to ancient relatives of humans. It has been close to 150 years since the accidental discovery of Neanderthals, however, scientists are ...

Chloroplast and mitochondria are membrane bound organelles found in eukaryotic cells’ cytoplasm. Chloroplasts are present in all multicellular plants and some algae species while mitochondria are found in most eukaryotic cells. Their main similarity is that both of these organelles generate the universal cell energy carrier known as ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). - Chloroplast DNA Geneticists have long established that many chloroplast associated traits display cytoplasmic inheritance. This suggests that nuclear genes are not responsible for encoding of these traits. In 1963, it was discovered that chloroplasts have their own deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) known as chloroplast DNA (cpDNA). ...

Sometimes Forensic Casework items consist of less than 100 picograms (pg) of template DNA which, if we assume 3.5 pg of DNA per haploid cell, can be equated to approximately thirty haploid cells or fifteen diploid cells are termed as LCN DNA (low template DNA or LT DNA). (Gill 17) Such low copy number (LCN) samples exist due to several factors like damaged or degraded DNA, oligozoospermia or aspermic perpetrators or extended interval post coital samples, where there is loss of sperm over time because of the effects of drainage or host cell metabolism. From crime scenes, Trace ...

The discovery of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was in 1953. The scientists behind the discovery are Doctor Watson and his colleague Crick. The DNA is the basic unit of an organism. It acts as a finger print of the blood. There are two individuals with the same DNA on the earth. This includes even identical twins. Since the discovery, of DNA has had a large impact on science. A major impact of DNA is on the field of forensic science. This field of science is involved with solving crime. This is through using various laboratory techniques in testing samples. The techniques have ...

DNA and cancer treatment

Wade, N. (2010). Speed-reading of DNA may help cancer treatment. Retrieved on June 7, 2011, from The Johns Hopkins University has initiated a method of investigating the progress of a patient’s cancer treatment by means of modern technology for rapid succession, or decoding, huge quantities of DNA. The author in this article states clearly that individuals have a unit account of the DNA within their mitochondria, which are the several energy stores inside each cell. It states that apart form the mutations or modifications, in DNA present in cancer patients, even health individuals are known to have differences in ...