Characteristics Take a moment to list at least 5 characteristics that describe you. Share the ones you are comfortable sharing with your neighbor. Your neighbor will share one of the traits you shared.

Who has DNA?

Where is the DNA?

X-Ray Crystallograph Rosalind Franklin 1950s

Which of the following have a genetic component? Ability to Roll your tongue (or not) Lactose Tolerance (or intolerance) Bipolar Disorder Risk taking behaviors IQ Eye color and iris pattern Response to certain pain killers Batten’s Disease (lysosomal function) Quantity of sugar you consume

DNA Extraction Collect group of cells – From where? – How much DNA is in each cell? Extract and purify DNA – How do you burst open the cell? – What are the contaminants?

Your genome is your unique code of DNA that carries the information that affects your traits, including your appearance, health and behavior. Each of us inherited half of our genome from our mother and half from our father, and this is why we often share traits with our parents. As a result, siblings who share parents often share traits.

DNA is a chemical made up of a chain of bases. There are 4 types of bases – A, C, G and T. In humans, our genome consists of ~6 billion bases. Chains of bases are called chromosomes. The number of chromosomes and the order of bases along each chromosome are very important. Each chromosome carries segments of DNA, known as genes, that are the blueprints to make proteins.

In general, we each have 23 pairs of chromosomes. One chromosome from each pair comes from our mother and one from our father. Therefore, we typically inherit two copies of each gene. Our genomes contain approximately 20,000 genes. Genome sequencing determines the order of the 6 billion bases of our genome and can reveal information about our traits.

Q&A + Discussion What are the potential benefits to knowing more about your genetic predisposition to (chance of developing) a disease? What are the possible downsides to knowing? Aside from health and medical information, what else might you be curious to learn about from your DNA?

The Gene For Sweet July 2015 NPR Story: gene-for-sweet-why-we-dont-all-taste-sugar-the-same-way gene-for-sweet-why-we-dont-all-taste-sugar-the-same-way Liang-Dar Hwang, Gu Zhu, Paul A. S. Breslin, Danielle R. Reed, Nicholas G. Martin and Margaret J. Wright. A Common Genetic Influence on Human Intensity Ratings of Sugars and High-Potency Sweeteners. Twin Research and Human Genetics, available on CJO2015. doi: /thg

Is my IQ pre-determined? Studies show: “academic achievement is influenced by genes affecting motivation, personality, confidence, and dozens of other traits, in addition to those that shape intelligence”: influence-your-iq-they-determine-how-well-you-do-school influence-your-iq-they-determine-how-well-you-do-school “How parents raise us has no impact on how smart we become”: “Study of more than 100,000 people finds three genetic variants for IQ — but their effects are maddeningly small”:

It’s More than Nature versus Nurture Genes and Psychology A personal story: Genetic Influence on Human Psychological Traits: ent/bouchard.04.curdir.pdf ent/bouchard.04.curdir.pdf Psychologists who link genes to behavior are in hot demand: Genes & Development: development/a/genes-and-development.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/early-child- development/a/genes-and-development.htm

Oversimplified Genetics oversimplified-genetic-traits oversimplified-genetic-traits

Chromosomes, Genes, & Nucleic Acids

Pedigrees depict family history JoeRetta ZachNoahAlexis

age 60 breast cancer MariaSteven Pedigrees depict family history Example: A family with inherited breast cancer susceptibility (BRCA1 variant). MalcolmVanessaAngelaAshleyEmily XX Chris

age 60 breast cancer MalcolmVanessaAngelaAshley Maria Emily Steven Pedigrees depict family history Example: A family with inherited breast cancer susceptibility (BRCA1 variant). XX Chris age 45 ovarian cancer age 55 breast cancer age 32 surgery Justin Chloe

Transcription (DNA to RNA) Translation (RNA to Protein) Genotype: T−13910 Genotype: C−13910 Phenotype: Lactase persistentPhenotype: Lactase non-persistent

Transcription (DNA to RNA) Translation (RNA to Protein) Genotype: normal PAH gene Genotype: PAH 775G>A Phenotype: Normal- metabolizes Phenylalanine Phenotype: Phenylketonuria- cannot metabolize Phenylalanine

Variations in your DNA Many common “variants” of trait We are each not just one trait, but a collection of various traits Most changes are not associated with a functional gene (exon) Does “mutation” = good or bad?

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