Gene deletion is something that is studies all the time at the moment. Scientists deliberately delete genes in mics and bacteria and other lab organisms to look at the role they play in that organism and what will happen to different parts of them when it is gone. This definitely covers genes scientists think are involved in cancer and growth etc.! This is not done in humans at the moment though. To delete a gene like this, it is done when the animal is only right at the start of its development, before it has fully formed. Then you have to breed the animals to make sure that you end up with the correct ones with the gene being gone.
In bacteria, gene deletion is actually pretty complicated. There are some tricky things you have to do to change a bacteria’s DNA! It’s a bit weird, bacteria are super simple but hard to change their DNA and animals are a little bit the other way around!
We don’t do this in humans though. Gene therapy is done though, where we change faulty DNA that cause genetic disorders in cells with DNA that is normal so that they work properly again! Then the cells with the new normal DNA divide and make new cells that are also normal. Cool huh!
Seth I think I saw this question being put up during our chat, I’m sorry I didn’t answer it to your liking. 🙁
I can however tell you right now that in ourlav here at the UNisersity of Sydney we are very interested in knocking genes out of a bacertia called Mycobacteria. we do this because we are interest in which genes in this bacteria are responsible for the bacterias ability to grow and eat very toxic compounds. So by knocking genes out one by one, or by replacing them back in, we learn heaps about the organisms behaviour and toxic compound degradation ability. Totally cool! But there are a few problems with gene deletions even in bacteria. If the gene is very important and you knock it out, the bacteria can die or if it lives its not really happy. and seriously, bacteria are so easy to work with! now imagine deleting parts of the human genome.
The human genome (so these are all the genes that make up who we are) is a fine network of genes. If we delete a gene, there might be a downstream gene that will be affected this might actually have a worse effect then we initially intended. We don’t do gene deletions or knock out for that reason. We still don’t understand the human genome! So would you take the risk and knock out genes in humans?
Ah so much to be discovered…so little time!!!!
Hi Seth, genes can be deleted from an organism like a mouse however this type of gene manipulation is very tricky to do in humans. At the moment there are people researching ways to decrease the expression of genes in rather than deleting them completely.
Hey seth, that’s a super question!
Gene deletion is something that is studies all the time at the moment. Scientists deliberately delete genes in mics and bacteria and other lab organisms to look at the role they play in that organism and what will happen to different parts of them when it is gone. This definitely covers genes scientists think are involved in cancer and growth etc.! This is not done in humans at the moment though. To delete a gene like this, it is done when the animal is only right at the start of its development, before it has fully formed. Then you have to breed the animals to make sure that you end up with the correct ones with the gene being gone.
In bacteria, gene deletion is actually pretty complicated. There are some tricky things you have to do to change a bacteria’s DNA! It’s a bit weird, bacteria are super simple but hard to change their DNA and animals are a little bit the other way around!
We don’t do this in humans though. Gene therapy is done though, where we change faulty DNA that cause genetic disorders in cells with DNA that is normal so that they work properly again! Then the cells with the new normal DNA divide and make new cells that are also normal. Cool huh!
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Seth I think I saw this question being put up during our chat, I’m sorry I didn’t answer it to your liking. 🙁
I can however tell you right now that in ourlav here at the UNisersity of Sydney we are very interested in knocking genes out of a bacertia called Mycobacteria. we do this because we are interest in which genes in this bacteria are responsible for the bacterias ability to grow and eat very toxic compounds. So by knocking genes out one by one, or by replacing them back in, we learn heaps about the organisms behaviour and toxic compound degradation ability. Totally cool! But there are a few problems with gene deletions even in bacteria. If the gene is very important and you knock it out, the bacteria can die or if it lives its not really happy. and seriously, bacteria are so easy to work with! now imagine deleting parts of the human genome.
The human genome (so these are all the genes that make up who we are) is a fine network of genes. If we delete a gene, there might be a downstream gene that will be affected this might actually have a worse effect then we initially intended. We don’t do gene deletions or knock out for that reason. We still don’t understand the human genome! So would you take the risk and knock out genes in humans?
Ah so much to be discovered…so little time!!!!
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Hi Seth, genes can be deleted from an organism like a mouse however this type of gene manipulation is very tricky to do in humans. At the moment there are people researching ways to decrease the expression of genes in rather than deleting them completely.
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