Use Of DNA Information Research Articles

Eigendoms- en gebruiksrechten van genetische informatie

In 2003, the WRR suggested in the Deciding on Biotechnology report that individuals should not be given ownership of their personal genetic information (DNA) to prevent risk selection and exclusion. Yet, that does not seem politically and ethically feasible. From that perspective the research question of this article is about how to regulate ownership and use of genetic information. Better predictability of health and longevity risk, through genetic information and thanks to new developments in genoeconomics, possibly in combination with 'big data', makes risk selection by insurance companies attractive. That holds more specifically for the pension system. In addition to insurance for investment risk, the pension system also offers insurance for longevity risk. In itself, selection for longevity risk via premium setting is not unwarranted since the bad risks with long life expectancy are the highly educated, so that the current implicit risk solidarity in pension insurance in The Netherlands, unlike in health insurance, brings about more inequality. But an unrestricted risk selection does raise ethical and social questions and does not fit into the new pension system in the Netherlands. That is why good and extensive legislation is needed for property rights and the utilization of genetic information of individual citizens. A similar focus on regulation is also in order for the use of DNA information of the government in criminal cases. Here the question is what additional options the government should have to use the information to solve crimes.

Genomic selection: A paradigm shift in animal breeding

• Traditional marker-assisted selection (MAS) did not result in a widespread use of DNA information in animal breeding. The main reason was that the traits of interest in livestock production were much more complex than expected: they were determined by thousands of genes with small effects on phenotype. These effects were usually too small to be statistically significant and so were ignored. • Genomic selection (GS) assumes that all markers might be linked to a gene affecting the trait and concentrates on estimating their effect rather than testing its significance. Three technological breakthroughs resulted in the current wide-spread use of DNA information in animal breeding: the development of the genomic selection technology, the discovery of massive numbers of genetic markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms; SNPs), and high-throughput technology to genotype animals for (hundreds of) thousands of SNPs in a cost-effective manner. • Here we review current methods for GS, including how they deal with practical data, where genotypes are missing on a large scale. The use of whole-genome sequence data is anticipated, and its advantages and disadvantages are depicted. Current and predicted future impacts of GS on dairy and beef cattle, pigs, and poultry breeding are described. Finally, future directions for GS are discussed. • It is anticipated that future GS applications will either be: within breed (wbGS), where accuracy is obtained by maintaining huge withinbreed reference populations; or across breed (abGS) where accuracy is obtained from across-breed reference populations and high-density GS methods that focus on causative genomic regions. We argue that future GS applications will increasingly turn toward abGS.

The presence and future of the use of DNA-Information and the protection of genetic informational privacy: A comparative perspective

DNA-Information is used to solve a criminal case or to establish a match between the suspect of a particular criminal case and other unsolved crimes. However, DNA-Information on its own is not entirely reliable evidence as this scientific technology produces errors with a certain probability. The use of DNA-Information in criminal proceedings is in conflict with the protection of individual's genetic informational privacy. Although England and Wales, Germany and South Korea have different legal provisions on the use of DNA-Information, in all these legal orders there are similar problems. Therefore, there is a need for appropriate legislative criteria which balance the protection of individual's genetic informational privacy relating to DNA and the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in a society which employs all the available modern forensic technologies.

Comparison of dimensionality reduction methods to predict genomic breeding values for carcass traits in pigs.

A significant contribution of molecular genetics is the direct use of DNA information to identify genetically superior individuals. With this approach, genome-wide selection (GWS) can be used for this purpose. GWS consists of analyzing a large number of single nucleotide polymorphism markers widely distributed in the genome; however, because the number of markers is much larger than the number of genotyped individuals, and such markers are highly correlated, special statistical methods are widely required. Among these methods, independent component regression, principal component regression, partial least squares, and partial principal components stand out. Thus, the aim of this study was to propose an application of the methods of dimensionality reduction to GWS of carcass traits in an F2 (Piau x commercial line) pig population. The results show similarities between the principal and the independent component methods and provided the most accurate genomic breeding estimates for most carcass traits in pigs.

Quadrados mínimos parciais uni e multivariado aplicados na seleção genômica para características de carcaça em suínos

A principal contribuição da genética molecular é a utilização direta das informações de DNA no processo de identificação de indivíduos geneticamente superiores. Sob esse enfoque, idealizou-se a seleção genômica ampla (Genome Wide Selection - GWS), a qual consiste na análise de marcadores SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) amplamente distribuídos no genoma. Devido a esse grande número de SNPs, geralmente maior que o número de indivíduos genotipados, e à alta colinearidade entre eles, métodos de redução de dimensionalidade são requeridos. Dentre estes, destaca-se o método de regressão via Quadrados Mínimos Parciais (Partial Least Squares - PLS), que além de solucionar tais problemas, permite uma abordagem multivariada, considerando múltiplos fenótipos. Diante do exposto, objetivou-se aplicar e comparar a regressão PLS univariada (UPLS) e multivariada (MPLS) na GWS para características de carcaça em uma população F2 de suínos Piau×Comercial. Os resultados evidenciaram a superioridade do método MPLS, uma vez que este proporcionou maiores valores de acurácia em relação à abordagem univariada.

Accelerating improvement of livestock with genomic selection.

Three recent breakthroughs have resulted in the current widespread use of DNA information: the genomic selection (GS) methodology, which is a form of marker-assisted selection on a genome-wide scale, and the discovery of large numbers of single-nucleotide markers and cost effective methods to genotype them. GS estimates the effect of thousands of DNA markers simultaneously. Nonlinear estimation methods yield higher accuracy, especially for traits with major genes. The marker effects are estimated in a genotyped and phenotyped training population and are used for the estimation of breeding values of selection candidates by combining their genotypes with the estimated marker effects. The benefits of GS are greatest when selection is for traits that are not themselves recorded on the selection candidates before they can be selected. In the future, genome sequence data may replace SNP genotypes as markers. This could increase GS accuracy because the causative mutations should be included in the data.

Genome wide selection for Eucalyptusimprovement at international paper in Brazil

The efficiency of plant breeding depends mainly on two actions of the breeder: creation and subsequent identification of superior genotypes. In both actions, selection plays a fundamental role in the definition of crosses to be performed, with interest in creating new genotypes and identifying superior trees to be used commercially. The great attraction of molecular tools for plant breeding is the direct use of DNA information in selection, allowing higher efficiency, quickness in obtaining genetic gains with relatively low costs, when compared to the traditional selection based on phenotypic data. All these objectives can be reached through a new approach: genome-wide selection (GWS) or just genomic selection (GS). Genomic selection can be applied in breeding programs of any species. Results obtained in simulated data indicated that GWS can be very profitable in eucalyptus breeding [1]. GWS is based on selection exclusively by molecular markers, after having their genetic effects estimated based on phenotypic data, in a breeding population sample [2]. The present work aims to characterize and estimate genetic parameters of a hybrid progeny test, the population that will compose the genome-wide selection study at International Paper in Brazil. Material and methods The International Paper Brazil population chosen for genome-wide selection purposes is installed in a Hybrid Progeny Test, comprising 58 crosses from controlled pollination of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus urophylla and five common checks (commercial clones of the company), totaling 63 treatments. These 58 families are derived from 56 different parents crossed. The test was installed in July 2006 in Brotas (Sao Paulo State, Brazil) in randomized complete block design, with six plants per plot and eight blocks, corresponding to a total of 3,024 plants. In 2011 the test was evaluated, performing the measurement of diameter at breast high (DBH) and plant height of the progenies. The obtained data were analyzed in Selegen-REML/BLUP software for the estimation of genetic parameters. The analysis, will allow the identification of the elite individual trees, which comprised the GWS population, ranking the best living trees of the test by estimating the annual average increment and morphological aspects (removing dead, forked and broken trees). Following the selection of the GWS 1,000 trees population, xylem samples were collected and sent for DNA extraction and genotyping with DArT and SNP markers. Results

전자감시를 통한 범죄예방과 제도의 개선방안

Recently, the government and national assembly are pouring out various measures for prevention of crime. Especially increase in violent crimes aggravates malaise factors of our society. Accordingly they are pouring out diverse measures that did not exist before. Various policies to prevent crimes actually particularly such as electronic surveillance system against specific criminals, chemical castration law, making personal information of sexual criminals public and establishment of law about use of DNA information are being enforced. Presently various policies to prevent crimes are being prepared. Among them there is electronic surveillance system being enforced since September 2007. The electronic surveillance system was introduced as effective control method against specific sexual offenders that are appeared as serious social problems recently. Such electronic surveillance system has meaning that criminal control system is newly established. The electronic surveillance system should be propelled in combination with order of attending class, order of treatment, service order and vocational training. And in employment of the object of electronic surveillance, the interest without disadvantage or prejudice of local residents can help economic stability and rehabilitation of the object persons so adequate promotion of the correction authorities is also necessary.

Privacy issues with DNA databases and retention of individuals' DNA information by law enforcement agencies: the holding of the European Court of Human Rights case S and Marper v. United Kingdom should be adapted to American Fourth Amendment jurisprudence

When law enforcement agencies collect, retain, and use individuals' DNA information in DNA databases for crime prevention purposes the presumption of innocence is reduced for those individuals. Collection and use of DNA information has benefits, greatly assisting law enforcement agencies in their criminal investigations. However, problems arise when DNA information is retained and used for individuals who have been acquitted, have had the charges pressed against them dropped, have been arrested for crimes short of violent or sexual felonies, or have served out the term of their sentence. While federal law has expungement provisions for individuals who are ultimately not convicted, state laws on expungement are often silent or inadequate. In order to prevent the presumption of innocence from being significantly eroded by the improper use of DNA information, US courts should adopt the test elaborated in the European Court of Human Rights case S and Marper v. UK, which may require law enforcement agencies to expunge their databases of DNA information of individuals depending on the individuals' statuses as arrestees, non-convicts, convicts, or ex-convicts, and in consideration of the severity of the offense alleged which provided the law enforcement rationale to extract the individuals' DNA. Adoption of the Marper test will allow US courts to balance the interests of the government in crime prevention and criminal investigation against the privacy interests of the individual citizen with a degree of far greater nuance than the sledgehammer alternative, namely, the universal DNA database proposed by Yale Law School Professor Akhil Amar and Paul Monteleoni.