BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

Author: anselwall

The Future of CRISPR

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On March 11, 2018

In Student Post

CRISPR is starting to become more and more of a reality as Harvard professor David Liu continues to work on it. Liu was the person who originally developed CRISPR first base editor which allowed for single letter changes in the genetic code. Liu has come up with two new features to CRISPR-Cas9.

The first is called cellular detective or CAMERA(CRISPR-mediated analog multievent recording apparatus systems). What this function does is it finds the genetic problem that is responsible for the disease someone is experiencing. Cas9 will record all the cell data and piece info together, which overall will provide more information about cancer, stem cells, aging, and overall disease.

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The second finding is referred to as sharp scissors which is a CRISPR enzyme. Sharp scissors are way more precise and accurate than the old enzyme making is much safer. The scissors depend on specific DNA to find the region where it is supposed to cut or edit. CRISPR is progressing and as more research is being done could be used on humans in the future.

 

Discovery in Worms Could Save Human Lives in the Future

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On December 10, 2017

In Student Post

A germline is the ancestry of one generation of cells to the next ones. But, scientists for a long time did not know how this has not been destroyed. Over time cell’s proteins become deformed and clump together, and this damage gets passed down to the next generation. So, in theory the germline should have already been destroyed, but it is still producing new and healthy life to this day. The question is: how?

Scientists have recently found the answer to this through studying a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans. Similar to humans, these worms rely on certain genes to control their cellular division. In fact, they have a gene called daf-2 which has the ability to more than double their lifespan. After seeing this gene, scientists have realized that there are genes that are involved in repairing cells so that they do not become deformed or clumped.

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Caenorhabditis elegans are hermaphrodites where once eggs are mature they travel to the sperm. But, the eggs have a lot of damaged proteins, only not the ones near the sperm. This led scientists to hypothesize that the sperm send out a signal to tell the egg to get rid of its damaged proteins. This signal triggers the lysosomes in the egg cells to become acidic and break down the clumps.

Even though this discovery was found on worms it could have seriously beneficial implications for humans. Stem cells also use lysosomes to get rid of damaged proteins. So this discovery could lead into learning how to treat diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, to clean their aging tissue. A discovery found by studying tiny worms could lead to the answer to how to cure diseases that come with old age.

Ancient Viruses Do Good?

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On October 16, 2017

In Student Post

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Viral DNA. Sounds like something awful, but it isn’t. One type of viral DNA called endogenous retroviruses is something that can be passed down from generation to generation.

Recently a new protein, called Hemo, in the veins of pregnant women has been discovered. This protein is believed to be made by the fetus in the placenta. But, the effect of it is unknown. The cause of this is a gene from a virus that was formed more than one hundred million years ago. In fact, human DNA consists of 100,000 pieces of viral DNA. But, it is unknown exactly what the effect of viral DNA has overall.

Some are good as they protect from disease while others are believed to cause cancer. So, is it believed that Hemo is good or bad? Well, one theory is that it is a message from the fetus to the mother that dampens the mother’s immune system so that it does not attack the fetus, which is good. But, any mutations of Hemo could be harmful or even fatal. Other viral proteins play a role in the development of a fetus. Such as how viral proteins help embryos develop tissues. Early embryos may have come to depend on tricks that viruses once used to manipulate them. Scientists are currently trying to find out more about the topic themselves

 

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