Scribd
Upload
85 views

Module 1 - Cytogenetics

This document discusses the origin and importance of genetics. It covers the historical context of genetics from ancient Greek philosophers like Hippocrates and Aristotle through Gregor Mendel's experiments in the 19th century which formed the basis of modern genetics. The three main branches of modern genetics are then outlined as transmission genetics, molecular genetics, and population genetics. The document also discusses some applications of genetics such as in agriculture, medicine, blood typing, biology, and human life.

Uploaded by

Nursida Ladjalawie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
85 views

Module 1 - Cytogenetics

This document discusses the origin and importance of genetics. It covers the historical context of genetics from ancient Greek philosophers like Hippocrates and Aristotle through Gregor Mendel's experiments in the 19th century which formed the basis of modern genetics. The three main branches of modern genetics are then outlined as transmission genetics, molecular genetics, and population genetics. The document also discusses some applications of genetics such as in agriculture, medicine, blood typing, biology, and human life.

Uploaded by

Nursida Ladjalawie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

Module 1 - ORIGIN AND IMPORTANCE OF GENETICS

Learning Objectives:
At the end of the module, you should be able to:
1. Discuss the branches of genetics
2. Explain the fundamentals of transmission and molecular genetics

Topic 1: The Historical Context of Genetics

Since the dawn of civilization, humankind has recognized the influence of


heredity and applied its principles to improvement of cultivated crops and domestic
animals. Most of the mechanisms of heredity, however, remained a mystery until the
19th century, when genetics as a systematic science began. Genetics arose out of the
identification of genes, the fundamental units responsible for heredity, as a scientific
discipline stemmed from the work of Gregor Mendel in the middle of the 19 th century. All
present research inn genetics can be traced back to Mendel’s discovery of the laws
governing the inheritance of traits.
The word genetics was introduced in 1905 by English biologist William Bateson,
who was one of the discoveries of Mendel’s work and who become champion of
Mendel’s principles of inheritance.

 Hippocrates (c.460 -375 BCE), known as the father of medicine, believed in the
inheritance of acquired, and to account to this, he devised the hypothesis known
as pangenesis.
 Aristotle (384-322 BCE) emphasized the importance of blood in heredity. He
thought that the blood supplied generative material for building all parts of the
adult body and he reasoned that blood was the basis for passing on this
generative power to the next generation. (blood lines, blood ties).
 17th and 18th centuries the idea of preformation using the newly developed
microscopes.
 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck a French biologist invoked the idea of “the influence of
acquired characters” not as an explanation for heredity but as a model for
evolution.
 Alfred Russel Wallace a British naturalist originally postulated the theory of
evolution by natural selection.
 1900 – marked the “rediscovery of Mendel’s by Hugo de Vries, Carl Correns and
Erich Tschermark.
 1915 – The basic principles of Mendelian Genetics had been applied to a wide
variety of organism. (Fruit fly)
 1925 – Mendelian Model was widely studied.
 Comes from the Latin GENESIS which means birth or more broadly, it is the
study of heredity.
Genetics
 Is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in living organism
 It is generally considered a field of biology, but it interacts frequently with many of
the life sciences.
 It is a strongly linked with the study of information systems
 The study of heredity in general and of genes in particular.
 Genetics forma one of the central pillars of biology and overlap
Cytology
 The branch of biology concerned with the structure and function of plant and
animal cells
Cytogenetics
 The study of inheritance in relation to the structure and function of chromosomes
 Is a branch of genetics that is concerned with the study of the structure and
function of the cell, especially the chromosomes.
 Is an exciting, dynamic field of study which analyzes the number and structure of
human and animal chromosomes
 Changes that affect the number and / or structure of the chromosomes with
growth, development, and how the body functions.
 The study of chromosomes and genomic structure, function, and variation and
their role in human disease and heredity.
a. Chromosomes analysis/karyotyping
b. Fluorescence in situ hybridization
c. Genomic microarray analysis
The Birth of Human Cytogenetics
 1956: Joe Hin Tjio and Albert Levan count the full complement of 46 human
Chromosomes
 Thomas Painter – 30 years after, the count of 48 chromosomes were studied.
 1968 Caspersson et. al – differential staining of chromosomes produces a
recognizable banding pattern (chromosomal barcode) along the length of the
chromosomes. Chromosomes are related to differences in base pair
composition, gene density, repetitive elements, chromatin packaging but
molecular basis is not understood, greatly facilitates classification and recognition
of structural aberations.
 1963 – chromosome 5 short arm partial deletion in Cri du Chat syndrome, D-
chromosome deletion in patient with bilateral retinoblastoma.
 In the late 80’s introduction of FISH ( Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization)

Modern Genetics
3 Main Branches
 Transmission Genetics – the study of the passing of traits from one generation
to the next.
 Molecular Genetics – the study of the chemical structure of genes and how they
operate at the molecular level.
 Population Genetics – the study of the variation of genes between and within
population
Topic 2: Application of Genetics

In recent advances in molecular biology allow us to develop and apply the tools
and concepts of molecular genetics to the conservation of biological resources. Working
with the design and implement studies that provide genetic and genomic information for
a broad range of applications.

Applications of Genetics to Agriculture


 This involves breeding animals and plants by selectively choosing those with
desirable qualities. 
Application of Genetics in Medicine
 Medical genetics is any application of genetic principles to medical practice. This
includes studies of inheritance, mapping disease genes, diagnosis and
treatment, and genetic counseling.
Applications of Genetics in Blood Typing
 ABO blood group system, the classification of human blood based on the
inherited properties of red blood cells (erythrocytes) as determined by the
presence or absence of the antigens A and B, which are carried on the surface of
the red cells. Persons may thus have type A, type B, type O, or type AB blood.
Applications of Genetics Biology
 Genetics is a branch of biology concerned with the study of genes, genetic
variation, and heredity in organisms.
Applications of Genetics in Human Life.
 Genetics can help us to understand why people look the way they do and why
some people are more prone to certain diseases than others. Genetics can help
health-care professionals to identify certain conditions in babies before they are
born using techniques such as prenatal testing.

You might also like