How does one find a girl interested in having many children? What’s the best way to go about my search? Should I think about moving to rural
Utah?

In response, one of the comments suggested:

If your main goal is passing along your DNA to the next generation,
you might want to give serious consideration to becoming a sperm
donor.

Well. That just about covers it.

When we talk about why people get a disease, there are multiple components. There are inherent risks, and there are environmental exposures—and it’s about a combination of those. We know that certain diseases are becoming more prevalent these days—asthma, for example. It’s not because genes have changed; it’s because environmental triggers have changed. …it doesn’t mean that you’re going to treat it by genetics. It might be that, once genetics lets you understand what pathway has gone awry, the best treatment might be a drug or a diet.

The question: Should genetic information be disclosed to insurers?

Prof. Ashcroft says “no” on the basis of unfair discrimination via potential misinterpretations of genetic information. He also argues that it’s a social injustice to punish those who’ve had the “ill luck” to inherit genetic mutations predisposing them to disease. (Of course, all of us carry genetic mutations predisposing us to disease and eventually, this will cease to be an issue.) The argument is that individuals with the bad luck to have disease-causing mutations deserve insurance even more because that’s what insurance is for - covering accidents.

Prof. Holm says “yes” to allow insurance companies access to genetic information because genetic information is no different from other data, such as pre-existing medical conditions or family history. He says that it is unfair to ask insurance companies to operate without a complete medical history since they need to be cost effective. (Although plenty of people withhold critical information precisely because they fear their premiums will skyrocket or they will be denied insurance completely.)

I say “no” to making genetic information widely available to insurers because information on my genes is not just about me. My genetic profile can give information about family members as well, especially my parents, siblings, and children.

Knowing the gene variant you carry could make it possible to infer those carried by your relatives as well. This situation is particularly clear-cut for diseases that are caused by a single dominant gene with 100% penetrance (the presence of the disease gene always causes the disease). Huntington’s disease is one example. If a currently healthy person tests positive for the gene causing Huntington’s disease, it is easy to figure out that the gene was inherited from the parent with the positive family history. This parent’s positive status can then easily be inferred from the child’s positive result.

What’s worse, asking for genetic information for one purpose can cause problems in other ways. Family turmoil ensues if the parent had not wanted to know if s/he carried the disease gene, preferring instead to take life day-by-day never knowing if or when the disease might strike. And what about when testing can reveal secrets about family relationships that would have never been known before? Fathers, mothers and children, or sisters and brothers may turn out not be biologically related or perhaps related more closely than previously thought.

How would you answer the question? Take the poll below:

1. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid.
2. DNA is part of our definition of a living organism.
3. DNA is found in all living things.
4. DNA was first isolated in 1869 by Friedrich Miescher.
5. James Watson and Francis Crick figured out the structure of DNA.
6. DNA is a double helix.
7. The structure of DNA can be likened to a twisted ladder.
8. The rungs of the ladder are made up of “bases”
9. Adenine (A) is a base.
10. Thymine (T) is a base.
11. Cytosine (C) is a base
12. Guanine (G) is a base.
13. A always pairs with T in DNA.
14. C also pairs with G in DNA.
15. The amount of A is equal to the amoun tof T, same for C and G.
16. A+T = T+G
17. Hydrogen bonds hold the bases together.
18. The sides of the DNA ladder is made of sugars and phosphate atoms.
19. Bases attached to a sugar; this complex is called a nucleoside.
20. Sugar + phosphate + base = nucleotide.
21. The DNA ladder usually twists to the right.
22. There are many conformations of DNA: A-DNA, B-DNA, and Z-DNA are the only ones found in nature.
23. Every single cell in our body has DNA.
24. DNA is the “blueprint” of life.
25. Chromosomal or nuclear DNA is DNA found in the nucleus of cells.
26. Humans have 46 chromosomes.
27. Autosomal DNA is part of chromosomal DNA but does not include the two sex chromsomes - X and Y.
28. One chromosome can have as little as 50 million base pairs or as much as 250 million base pairs.
29. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is found in the mitochondria.
30. mtDNA is only passed from the mother to the child because only eggs have mitochondria, not sperm.
31. There’s a copy of our entire DNA sequence in every cell of our body with one exception.
32. Our entire DNA sequence is called a genome.
33. There’s an estimated 3 billion DNA bases in our genome.
34. One million bases (called a megabase and abbreviated Mb) of DNA sequence data is roughly equivalent to 1 megabyte of computer data storage space.
35. Our entire DNA sequence would fill 200 1,000-page New York City telephone directories.
36. A complete 3 billion base genome would take 3 gigabytes of storage space.
37. If unwound and tied together, the strands of DNA in one cell would stretch almost six feet but would be only 50 trillionths of an inch wide.
38. In humans, the DNA molecule in a non-sex cell would have a total length of 1.7 metres.
39. If you unwrap all the DNA you have in all your cells, you could reach the moon 6000 times!
40. Our sex cells–eggs and sperm–have only half of our total DNA.
41. Over 99% of our DNA sequence is the same as other humans’.
42. DNA can self-replicate using cellular machinery made of proteins.
43. Genes are made of DNA.
44. Genes are pieces of DNA passed from parent to offspring that contain hereditary information.
45. The average gene is 10,000 to 15,000 bases long.
46. The segment of DNA designated a gene is made up of exons and introns.
47. Exons have the code for making proteins.
48. Introns are intervening sequences sometimes called “junk DNA.”
49. Junk DNA’s function or lack thereof is a source of debate.
50. Part of “junk DNA” help to regulate the genomic activity.
51. There are an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 genes in our genome.
52. In 2000, a rough draft of the human genome (complete DNA sequence) was completed.
53. In 2003, the final draft of the human genome was completed.
54. The human genome sequence generated by the private genomics company Celera was based on DNA samples collected from five donors who identified themselves only by race and sex.
55. If all the DNA in your body was put end to end, it would reach to the sun and back over 600 times (100 trillion times six feet divided by 92 million miles).
56. It would take a person typing 60 words per minute, eight hours a day, around 50 years to type the human genome.
57. If all three billion letters in the human genome were stacked one millimeter apart, they would reach a height 7,000 times the height of the Empire State Building.
58. DNA is translated via cellular mechanisms into proteins.
59. DNA in sets of 3 bases, called a codon, code for amino acids, the building blocks of protein.
60. Changes in the DNA sequence are called mutations.
61. Many thing can cause mutations, including UV irradiation from the sun, chemicals like drugs, etc.
62. Mutations can be changes in just one DNA base.
63. Mutations can involve more than one DNA base.
64. Mutations can involve entire segments of chromosomes.
65. Single nucleotide polymorpshisms (SNPs) are single base changes in DNA.
66. Short tandem repeats (STRs) are short sequences of DNA repeated consecutively.
67. Some parts of the DNA sequence do not make proteins.
68. Genes make up only about 2-3% of our genome.
69. DNA is affected by the environment; environmental factors can turn genes on and off.
70. There are many ways you can analyze your DNA using commercially available tests.
71. Paternity tests compare segments of DNA between the potential father and child.
72. There are other types of relationship testing that compares DNA between siblings, grandparents and grandchild, etc.
73. DNA tests can help you understand your risk of disease.
74. A DNA mutation or variation may be associated with a higher risk of a number of diseases, including breast cancer.
75. DNA tests can help you understand your family history aka genetic genealogy.
76. DNA tests can help you understand your ethnic make-up.
77. DNA can be extracted from many different types of samples: blood, cheek cells, urine.
78. DNA can be stored either as cells on a cotton swab, buccal brush, or frozen blood or in extracted form.
79. In forensics, DNA analysis usually looks at 13 specific DNA markers (segments of DNA).
80. The odds that two individuals will have the same 13-loci DNA profile is about one in one billion.
81. A DNA fingerprint is a set of DNA markers that is unique for each individual except identical twins.
82. Identical twins share 100% of their genes.
83. Siblings share 50% of their genes.
84. A parent and child share 50% of their genes.
85. You can extract DNA at home from fruit and even your own cheek cells.
86. DNA is used to determine the pedigree for livestock or pets.
87. DNA is used in wildlife forensics to identify endangered species and people who hunt them (poachers).
88. DNA is used in identify victims of accidents or crime.
89. DNA is used to exonerate innocent people who’ve been wrongly convicted.
90. Many countries, including the US and UK, maintain a DNA database of convicted criminals.
91. The CODIS databank (COmbined DNA Index System) is maintained by the BI and has DNA profiles of convicted criminals.
92. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to amplify a sample of DNA so that there are more copies to analyze.
93. We eat DNA every day.
94. DNA testing is used to authenticate food like caviar and fine wine.
95. DNA is used to determine the purity of crops.
96. Genetically modified crops have DNA from another organism inserted to give the crops properties like pest resistance.
97. Dolly the cloned sheep had the same nuclear DNA as its donor mom but its mitochondrial DNA came from from the egg mom. (Does that make any sense?)
98. People like to talk about DNA even if it bears no relation to science or reality.
99. A group of bloggers who write regularly about DNA and genetics have banded to gether to form The DNA Network.
100. Lists about DNA can get a little boring.

What do you think I left off the list?

1. Extract your own DNA.

   All you need is 15 minutes, salt, liquid soap, water, rubbing alcohol, and some glass and plastic cups. More details from biology.about.com: How to Extract DNA From Human Cheek Cells.

2. Save it for future reference in case of missing persons, abduction, or identification in the event of a tragedy.

    

   The City of San Bruno has step-by-step instructions for how to collect and save your children’s DNA in your own home (it would also be a good idea to do the same for other members of the family). A number of companies, such as DNA LifePrint, also sell DNA collection kits. And, companies like DNA Analysis have fee-for-service DNA storage.

3. Preserve your DNA in jewelry form.

   The Perpetua Life Jewel Pendant is composed of your DNA embedded in acrylic and can be made in a variety of colors. There’s also a Gold & Crystal Life Jewel Heart available. They market it for preserving “your animal companion’s DNA,” but nothing stops you from preserving DNA from yourself or your lover(s) and children.

4. Convert your DNA into a DNA art print.

    

   I’ve already mentioned the brilliantly colorful DNA 11 DNA Portraits before but they’re worth mentioning again. Although, it might give this former lab jockey a few flashbacks.
5. Get your DNA tested.

    

   Many many companies now offer DNA testing. Some are held to high standards while others are more suitable for recreational purposes. You can get your DNA tested for disease susceptibility genes, gene variants studied by people interested in nutritional genetics, ancestry, and genealogy.

Bonus idea: Send your DNA into the future by having children.

What other cool stuff have you done with your DNA?

This post was written as part of the ProBlogger Group Writing Project - Top 5.

Note: I have no financial affiliations with any of the companies named in this list.

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Dr. Leroy Hood, head of the Institute for Systems Biology:

I am very skeptical that genome-wide association studies will give us much of anything at all that will be useful for patients.

But of course he would say that because systems biology looks at the overall picture of how genes interact with each other and with the environment. For complex diseases, simply having information on a few genes is not enough to predict a person’s risk of disease without leaving a great deal of room for doubt.

Here are the Forbes 9 Gene Discoveries That Could Change Your Life:

1. FGFR2 for breast cancer
2. HLA-C for HIV and AIDS (also see HIV-Resistance Genes)
3. BTBD9 for restless legs syndrome
4. Variants on chromosomes 9, 6, and 2 for heart disease (also see NEJM Focus on Genomewide Scans)
5. Variants on chromosome 4 for atrial fibrillation
6. LOXL1 for glaucoma (also see Only One Gene for Exfoliative Glaucoma)
7. FLJ10986 for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou gehrig’s disease)
8. Human Leukocyte Antigen/Interleukin-2 receptor/Interleukin-7 receptor for multiple sclerosis
9. Traf1/C5 and PTPN22 for rheumatoid arthritis

A Wake Forest University School of Medicine team believes it has found biomarkers for lupus that also may play a role in causing the disease.

The biomarkers are micro-ribonucleic acids (micro-RNAs), said Nilamadhab Mishra, M.D. He and colleagues reported at the American College of Rheumatology meeting in Washington that they had found profound differences in the expression of micro-RNAs...

...between five lupus patients and six healthy control patients who did not have lupus.

In the new study, the researchers found 40 microRNAs in which the difference in expression between the lupus patients and the controls was more than 1.5 times, and focused on five micro-RNAs where the lupus patients had more than three times the amount of the microRNAs as healthy controls, and one, called miR 95 where the lupus patients had just one third of the gene expression of the microRNA of the controls.

The team reported the lesser amount of miR 95 "results in aberrant gene expression in lupus patients."