Section 4 Lesson 1– The Human Genome Project

Applications of DNA Technology Advances in gene manipulation have made many things possible. This section investigates 4 key areas where gene manipulations will affect our lives: 1.The Human Genome Project 2.Human Therapeutics 3.Forensic Science 4.Agriculture

The Human Genome Project The goal of the Human Genome Project was to map the base pair sequences that make up the entire human genome. A brief History Began in October The project was initially founded by the US Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. The project was expected to cost $3 billion and take 15 years to complete. An international research consortium involving scientists from the UK, France, Australia and Japan was formed to undertake the work. A rough draft was available in In April 2003 the genome was declared complete, ahead of schedule. In May 2006 the sequence of the last chromosome was published in Nature.

Main Findings of the HGP 1.Humans have approximately 23,000 genes. This is smaller than predicted. 2.The human genome has more repeated segments of DNA than in any other mammal studied. Almost 50% of the human genome is repetitive DNA. 3.7% of the protein families coded for are specific to vertebrates. These code for things like antibodies and cell signalling molecules. 4.Only about 3% of the genome actually codes for genes. Surprises from the HGP

What can we do with all this information? This was an enormous and expensive project. It involved scientists from all over the world. Watch the videos linked and list as many USES for this genome information as you can. NBC News BBC News Treat diseaseTrace our evolutionary pastScreen for diseases

How did they do it? A number of techniques were used to map the human genome. They used genetic mapping, physical mapping and DNA sequencing. Using gel electrophoresis to sequence Full Length Documentary