Good Genes (original) (raw)
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What is a Gene? A Two Sided View
Evolutionary Biology
Response to Reviewers: RESPONSES TO REVIEWER'S #2 COMMENTS (bold: reviewer's comments) •Figure 1: o "Outer elements": This is now replaced with "external elements", as suggested. A few changes have been been made to the legend of the figure. o DNA phenotype: We agree that histones contribute to the phenotype of the gene. On the other hand, in the figure and in the text our attempt is to concentrate more specifically on the phenotype of the DNA molecule. In the figure we already identify "DNA phenotype " as "molecular constitution and epigenetic modification of DNA". We feel that extending this definition as suggested by the reviewer to chromatin/chromosome would not accurately reflect the major focus of our essay. •English expression: The text has been reviewed and some formulations have been improved. •E.F.Keller reference: We have introduced the suggested citation.
Research in Microbiology, 2000
Genomic sequences provide evidence for a common origin of life and its evolution via selection of genetic variants created by mutation and recombination. Two classes of genes are known to accelerate mutation and/or recombination rates in bacterial populations: stress-inducible wild-type genes, usually part of the SOS regulon, and genes whose functional loss, or downregulation, increases the rate of genetic variability (mutator and/or hyper-rec mutants). © 2000 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS evolution / genomic sequence / mutation / recombination
The Kingdom of Genes: Why Genes from Animals and Plants Will Make Better Humans
American Journal of Bioethics, 2008
Humanity Saved by the Rat Smallpox re-emerges in the human population. It is a mutated strain, much more lethal and contagious than the previous one. Scientists wonder whether it has been genetically engineered by a bio-super-terrorist. But that does not matter now as millions of people die within weeks. It looks as if the very existence of humanity is threatened. A massive coordinated scientific effort is undertaken to save the world. Scientists in China, who have been transferring genes from animals to humans for decades, quickly identify that one of their human embryos with genes contributing to the immunological recognition system of the rat has 100% immunity to this mutated virus. They read the relevant gene sequence and start large-scale production of artificial gene sequences mirroring that of the rat's immune system. These are made available for gene therapy to confer resistance to the smallpox plague. Some people refuse to take the gene therapy. Some claim it is playing God. Others proclaim it is against human dignity for humans to have genes that are the same as a rat. And it blurs species boundaries. These objectors all die quickly and painfully. So it comes to pass that the human species contains genes from a rat. And the Chinese become even richer. In this commentary, we defend the decision of the British parliament and Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) (London, UK) to allow the creation of human admixed embryos. We concentrate on responding to the arguments presented by Baylis (2008) in Part II of the target article. We extend the argument to justify plundering the animal and plant kingdom—the kingdom of genes—for its genetic information for the betterment of humanity.
Gene Evolution and Human Adaptation
eLS, 2013
Regions of the human genome that have been subject to past positive selection contain patterns of genetic variation that are markedly different in specific ways from regions that have not experienced positive selection. By uncovering these so-called signatures of positive selection in the genome we can discover the unique ways in which humans have evolved.
2000
In order to describe a cell at molecular level, a notion of a "gene" is neither necessary nor helpful. It is suf - ficient to consider the molecules (i.e. chromosomes, tran- scripts, proteins) and their interactions to describe cell ular processes. The downside of the resulting high resolution is that it becomes very tedious to address features on the or-