Understanding Proteins, Genetic Code, and Biotechnology
Proteins are biomolecules formed by the union of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids in proteins. Changing a single amino acid causes the protein to be different. Each cell produces thousands of proteins using their ribosomes from free amino acids that exist in the cytoplasm.
There is a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) that acts as a messenger, copying genetic information from DNA to ribosomes and transporting it from the cytoplasm. The mRNA has a sequence complementary to the bases of DNA. The mRNA has a single string of nucleotides, and the nitrogenous base T (thymine) in DNA is substituted for U (uracil) in the mRNA. mRNA molecules are formed from DNA in a process called transcription.
Genetic Code
The genetic code is a set of rules that relate the nucleotide sequence of DNA with the amino acid sequence of a protein. The genetic code is a three-letter code. The letters are the nucleotides that form DNA. Each group consists of three nucleotides, called a triplet or codon, and is the key to a specific amino acid protein. There are three groups made up of three nucleotides that do not correspond to any amino acid because they are points that indicate the end of the protein. The genetic code is universal. All living beings possess the same genetic code. This property allows you to combine DNA from different origins and produce a human protein in another cell.
Enzymes
Enzymes are proteins that control chemical reactions in living things. They are also called biocatalysts, since they accelerate chemical reactions that without enzymes would be too slow. They are specific: each enzyme is involved in only one particular reaction. The amino acid sequence is determined by the genes of each individual.
Biotechnology
Biotechnology consists of modifying organisms, biological systems, or processes for obtaining useful products for people, agriculture, food production, industry, or the environment. Biotechnology today uses sophisticated techniques to modify genes to produce transgenic animals and plants.
It is known as DNA technology or genetic engineering laboratory techniques that allow combining DNA from different sources, even from different species, into a single DNA molecule. You may introduce the human gene for a protein into a bacterium or yeast that grows faster, and get large amounts of this protein. Organisms obtained through DNA technology are called genetically modified organisms (GMOs), because their genome has been modified. When this change is the introduction of one or more genes from another species, the resulting organism is called transgenic. DNA containing different DNA fragments is called recombinant DNA.
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Human Genome
The genome consists of DNA molecules organized into 46 chromosomes. To know the genetic information it contains, it is necessary to determine the base sequence of the human genome. The information obtained has allowed us to know that the human genome contains some 3200 million nucleotide pairs and between 30,000 and 40,000 genes. The challenge is to decipher the function of each gene and how they interact with each other to lead the organization and functioning of the human body, or identify genes associated with the onset of certain diseases.
Knowing the human genome can accelerate the identification of disease-causing genes and develop tools for diagnosing individuals carrying defective genes, even before they manifest the disease. Knowing the gene responsible for the disease can lead to the development of drugs or therapies to cure the disease. These diseases have their origin in the defective genes that an individual has inherited and are called genetic diseases or hereditary diseases.