Basic Concepts In Molecular Biology Research Articles

Basic Concepts in Molecular Biology Related to Genetics and Epigenetics

The observation that “one size does not fit all” for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, among other diseases, has driven the concept of precision medicine. The goal of precision medicine is to provide the best-targeted interventions tailored to an individual's genome. The human genome is composed of billions of sequence arrangements containing a code that controls how genes are expressed. This code depends on other nonstatic regulators that surround the DNA and constitute the epigenome. Moreover, environmental factors also play an important role in this complex regulation. This review provides a general perspective on the basic concepts of molecular biology related to genetics and epigenetics and a glossary of key terms. Several examples are given of polymorphisms and genetic risk scores related to cardiovascular risk. Likewise, an overview is presented of the main epigenetic regulators, including DNA methylation, methylcytosine-phosphate-guanine-binding proteins, histone modifications, other histone regulations, micro-RNA effects, and additional emerging regulators. One of the greatest challenges is to understand how environmental factors (diet, physical activity, smoking, etc.) could alter the epigenome, resulting in healthy or unhealthy cardiovascular phenotypes. We discuss some gene-environment interactions and provide a methodological overview.

Quantitative Analysis of the Usage of a Pedagogical Tool Combining Questions Listed as Learning Objectives and Answers Provided as Online Videos

To improve the learning of basic concepts in molecular biology of an undergraduate science class, a pedagogical tool was developed, consisting of learning objectives listed at the end of each lecture and answers to those objectives made available as videos online. The aim of this study was to determine if the pedagogical tool was used by students as instructed, and to explore students’ perception of its usefulness. A combination of quantitative survey data and measures of online viewing was used to evaluate the usage of the pedagogical practice. A total of 77 short videos linked to 11 lectures were made available to 71 students, and 64 completed the survey. Using online tracking tools, a total of 7046 views were recorded. Survey data indicated that most students (73.4%) accessed all videos, and the majority (98.4%) found the videos to be useful in assisting their learning. Interestingly, approximately half of the students (53.1%) always or most of the time used the pedagogical tool as recommended, and consistently answered the learning objectives before watching the videos. While the proposed pedagogical tool was used by the majority of students outside the classroom, only half used it as recommended limiting the impact on students’ involvement in the learning of the material presented in class.

Development of a Playful Tool to Application in Basic Education Through Educational Tutorial Program of Biochemistry´s (ETP)

INTRODUCTION: Playful activities can be a great method to become permanentknowledge in specific and complexes themes, according SOARES (2004). This work treatsabout the construction of a game to be used in teacher's qualification by EducationalTutorial Program in Biochemistry (ETP). OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the ludicity and capacityof a game to construct cognitive memories and become easy the familiarization processbetween the teachers and the molecular models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aprevious study of games developed in a matter from Biochemistry Bachelor Deegre wasdone to evaluate what´s the better game as clearness, dynamic, interaction and duration´stime. After the study, a Memory Card game was chosen to integrate the activities appliedby ETP in workshops. It is composed by thirty six cards divided in texts and images cards,being the pair constituted necessarily by one image and one text card. The images on thecards are based in kit's(*) pieces - nucleotides, amino acids, DNA, RNA, etc. Applying thegame before the manipulation, is expected that teachers link the theory and the model bythe previous familiarization. To evaluate it, questionaries were applied with questions aboutthe efficacy of the assimilation using the game as a previous activity before the effectivemanipulation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Datas show that 83,3% of teachers thoughtinteresting the application of game how a familiarization step and they affirm that thismethod is effective to make them closer to the pieces. In addition, the informations broughtin cards can become solid basic concepts in Molecular Biology and allow that the studentmemorizes it of an easier way. CONCLUSIONS: These results are a proof that games areable to rise up cognitive memory building, remedy assimilation and memorization deficitand build long time memories. In addition, a playful methodology

Fundamentals of Molecular Biology

AbstractWe present some basic concepts of molecular biology and the related open problems.

Fundamentals of Molecular Biology

We present some basic concepts of molecular biology and the related open problems.

Using the NCBI web site to understand GPCR structure

Pharmacology educators have discussed the need for future PhD scientists to have diverse training, to think critically and question assumptions, to acquire communication skills, to critically evaluate articles, and demonstrate independence. Many students enter pharmacology doctoral programs with diverse backgrounds and high GRE scores but lack these skills. The required doctoral courses provide a vast array of scientific knowledge and students must apply this information to their field of specialty. All of our graduate students take an entry level course titled “Molecular Biology in Pharmacology” where the above skill sets are integrated into the curriculum. The course objective is to provide students with knowledge of basic concepts of molecular biology and more importantly, to use this information to understand pharmacological principles. One course component introduces students to the tools and information available on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) web site. Using bioinformatics, students must complete an assignment that integrates principles of molecular biology and biochemistry into an investigation of a G‐protein coupled receptor gene, its disease states, and protein structure. Upon completing this exercise students demonstrate the ability to use data base resources and apply that information to understand the structure and function of receptors in pharmacology.

Characterization of gene expression during stress: Implications for anesthesiology and critical care

T HIS review discusses evolving concepts of severe physiologic stress. Surgical has been previously characterized by examination of physiologic variables, such as neuroendocrine hormones, sympathetic mediators, extracellular fluids, and nutritional status. Anesthesiology practitioners are now adept at delivering safe anesthetics to an older and sicker patient population due to improved monitoring, pharmacologic interventions, and better understanding of pathophysiology. Advances in molecular biology will allow better characterization of physiology at the cellular and molecular levels. Molecular biology may now be the force to unify physiology, pharmacology, and biology. This report provides a brief discussion of important aspects of severe at the cellular level and how the impact of molecular biology can advance treatment. Detailed understanding of the multi-faceted stress response will allow selective enhancement of certain physiologic responses and attenuation of others. Perdrizet, at the Hartford Hospital Trauma Program, 1 speculates that staged operative management of massive trauma is a way to take advantage of the patient's intrinsic adaptive response... Stage 1 at the Hartford Hospital after major trauma is damage control laparotomy. Stage 2 is a return to the operating room 48 hours later for a more definitive repair, after intensive support. Perdrizet hypothesizes that the metabolic basis for the successes.., is at the cellular level and is analogous to the cytoprotection observed to follow heat shock gene expression...The initial shock, trauma, and operative intervention followed by a period of normal homeostatic recovery has in essence 'stress-conditioned' the patient. An overview of common techniques is provided here that can be used to characterize gene expression during and after severe stress, such as those after major surgery, trauma, or shock from any etiology. Brief descriptions of these techniques will be given, with suggestions for further reading for a more in-depth understanding and for those who wish to apply these procedures in their own work. The reader will also be directed to sources for review of basic concepts in molecular biology. Current applications of molecular biology in perioperative medicine and gene expression in states of pathophysiology will be illustrated. Finally, predictions for exciting areas of future research focus will be presented.

Clustering and Evolutional Analysis of E. coli Proteins

As a model organism, Escherichia coli has been playing signi cant roles in the establishment of a number of basic concepts in molecular biology. In addition, determination of the whole genome sequence of E. coli is undoubtedly awaited for further insight into various biological phenomena. In E. coli the DNA sequences of the 0 40 minutes[1]and 69 100 min region[2] had been determined and at present the region between 40 to 69 minutes is under proceeding both by F. Blattner*s group and the Japan E.coli sequencing group. At present a contiguous sequence of E. coli, covering almost 90predict ORFs and cluster all ORFs on the basis of amino acid sequence similarities and analyze evolution of E. coli genes.

Basic concepts of molecular biology for the epileptologist.

Fundamental techniques used in molecular biology can be applied toward questions of relevance to epilepsy. Many of the most common techniques used for working with nucleic acids, including DNA extraction, electrophoresis, cloning in plasmid vectors, making probes, and the polymerase chain reaction are now commonly used in basic epilepsy research. Some specific approaches that can be used to address particular questions are methods for identifying a human gene (Southern analysis and screening a library), determining whether a gene is expressed in a given brain region (Northern analysis and in situ hybridization), and expressing a gene in tissue culture or a whole organism (cell transfection and transgenic animals).

Basic Concepts of Molecular Biology for the Reproductive Endocrinologist

Basic Concepts of Molecular Biology for the Reproductive Endocrinologist

Regeneration of Liver and Kidney

This brief and well-written volume reviews the current knowledge of compensatory growth (regeneration) in liver and kidney after partial removal of organ mass. The authors enhance the value of their presentation by surveying basic concepts in molecular biology, as a background for comparing growth phenomena in the two organs. Much of the material appeared in a series of reviews in the<i>New England Journal of Medicine</i>. Superficially liver and kidney appear to react rather differently to major loss of tissue mass; in the liver the main response is hyperplastic growth, and that in the kidney, cellular hypertrophy. Drs. Bucher and Malt point out, however, that the fundamental difference may, in fact, be largely one of degree. Cellular hypertrophy precedes cell proliferation after partial hepatectomy, and cell proliferation does occur in compensatory growth of kidney under extreme conditions. The underlying question which has stimulated broad interest in compensatory growth relates to

An Inexpensive and Accurate Method of constructing Molecular Models

The revolutionary advances which occurred in biological understanding in the 1950's and 1960's were caused by the successful elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of a number of bio­ logically important macromolecules and the consequent realization that the function of such a macromolecule might be deduced from a knowledge of its structure. So successful was this that a new discipline—Molecular Biology—has arisen largely devoted to the elucidation of the structure and function of biological macromolecules. The greatest contributions of Mole­ cular Biology to the study of Biology as a whole have been the interpretation of genetic phenom­ ena in terms of the structure and behaviour of DNA and the interpretation of biochemical reactions in terms of the structure of the protein molecules (enzymes) which bring them about. These advances in our understanding have been widely popularized and the teaching of elements of Molecular Biology is now commonplace in secondary schools as well, of course, as in the universities. This situation has presented those involved in the teaching of Molecular Biology with the serious problem that, although many of the basic concepts of Molecular Biology are easily comprehended, the structures of the molecules which gave rise to those concepts are often exceedingly complex. Thus the tendency has arisen to teach the elements of Molecular Biology with the aid of essentially diagrammatic, twodimensional representations of the molecules concerned. This attempt to do, as it were, Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark, has become less and less satisfactory as the knowledge of the molecular aspects of Biology expected of univers­ ity Biology students has increased. The obvious solution to the problem, that universities (and perhaps schools) acquire accurate models of biologically interesting molecules is impracticable since such a set would be prohibitively expensive to buy. One of us (J.F.) has developed a general system of representing three-dimensional struc­ tures cheaply and accurately and we have applied this, over the past three years, to the problem of teaching second and third year students at Leicester University the elements of molecular model building. As a result of the efforts of these students we now possess a suitable museum set of biological macromolecules which are used for demonstration purposes. The system we use was originally devised by J.F. to teach the elements of three-dimensional geometry to junior school children, so this represents another instance of educational technology devised for teaching young schoolchildren being usefully applied at more exalted levels.