Human Genetics

This section will concentrate on human genetic diseases and some of the
recent advances in biotechnology that will affect us in the future.
A)

Web site name: National Academy of Sciences, Human Gene Testing

Web URL: http://www.beyonddiscovery.org/content/view.article.asp?a=239

Read Human Gene Testing.

1)

If you inherit the gene MSH2, what are your risks of developing colon
cancer? ______________ %

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2)

What did Oswald Avery and others show in their experiment in 1944?
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3) What contribution did Watson and Crick later make?
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4)

How many bases in DNA code for one amino acid? ___________________

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5)

How many hereditary diseases are there? ____________________________

6)

What happened when researchers tried to break up DNA into more

manageable pieces? _____________________________________________
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7)

The first chromosome to be physically mapped was obtained from which

organism? ____________________________________________________

8)

What is the general name for a DNA cutting enzyme?

__________________________ enzyme

9)

What does ligase do? __________________________________________

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10)

When DNA fragments are separated using Edward Southerns technique,

which size of fragment moves fastest: a large fragment, a medium sized one,
or a small fragment? ____________________________________________

11)

What is a probe? _____________________________________________

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12)

What was the first prenatal test developed using Southern Blotting? _______
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13)

What are the symptoms of sickle cell anemia? ________________________

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14)

How many base pairs long is the RFLP ( containing the beta-hemoglobin
gene) that is characteristic of sickle cell anemia? ______________________

15)

How do RFLPs allow scientists to locate or isolate a disease gene? _______

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16)

Which chromosome contains the gene for the eye cancer retinoblastoma?
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17)

Which two scientists, one at Harvard and one at Cambridge, developed

methods for sequencing DNA? ____________________________________

18)

How many genetic diseases have been found by positional cloning? _______

Once a particular gene has been found, the only way to cure the genetic disease is
through gene therapy: replacing the defective gene with the normal, correct gene.
B)
Web site name: BBC News ( July 17, 2003 )
Web URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/derbyshire/3075919.stm
Read Bubble boy bounces back
19)

What did this rare inherited condition X-SCID do to Christopher?

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20)

What does SCID stand for? ______________________________________

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21)

Which chromosome does this disorder affect? ______________________

22)

Why was he barred from seeing other youngsters?

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23)

How was the artificial gene inserted into his body?____________________

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24)

Is this treatment a complete cure? _________ Explain why:

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25)

Why will their unborn daughter not suffer from this disease? ____________
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C)

Web site name: Thinkquest

Web URL: http://library.thinkquest.org/20830/Frameless/Manipulating/Experimentation/Cloning/longdoc.htm

Read History of cloning

26)

What is a clone? _______________________________________________

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27)

What animal did Hans Dreich use in his experiments? ________________

28)

What animal was cloned by nuclear transfer in 1951? __________________

29)

Why did scientists not believe the German in 1977 who claimed to clone
mice? ________________________________________________________
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30)

What big advance did Ian Wilmont make in cloning? __________________

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31)
32)

Who was Dolly the sheep named after? ____________________________

What is the success rate of the Honolulu team working with mice?
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D)

Web site name: BBC News

Web URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1740879.stm

Read Pig cloning race hots up

33)

What are the tissues or organs of these pigs designed, or engineered, for?
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34)

Why are pigs good candidates for xenotransplantation?

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35)

What problem could be caused by xenotransplantation?

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36)

Which human disease are the PPL scientists hoping to cure?

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E) Web site name: BBC News (August, 2004)

Web URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3554474.stm
A new technique called therapeutic cloning involves taking a cell, like a skin
cell, from a patient, putting its nucleus into the cytoplasm of an egg and then
growing cells that are genetically identical to the patient. Unlike reproductive
cloning, which would produce a baby, therapeutic cloning would produce cells
that would be put back into the patients own body.
Read the article Scientists given cloning go-ahead.
37). Which three diseases could therapeutic cloning be useful for treating?
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38).

How long will it be before patients could receive stem cells? ____________

39).

Where do the eggs for therapeutic cloning come from?

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40). What alternative does the pro-life group suggest?

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41). What is the punishment for reproductive cloning?
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42).

Do you personally think that research in therapeutic cloning is a good idea?

Explain your answer: ___________________________________________
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