MANUELA ESCOBAR VELEZ

MEDICENE STUDENT

INTRODUCTION

The knowledge of the central dogma of genetic information has allowed to know how genes work.

DNA is replicated on it model, RNA is synthesis from DNA transcription, and proteins are synthesis from RNA transduction.

When you have a damaged gene, and this is replicated, DNA polymerase will synthesis an RNA with a mutation, therefore the protein can not be synthesis correctly.

A mutated protein can induce cancer and how the information is in the genes can be passed from generation to generation.

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, sequenced genes in more than 600 patients with a family history of bowel cancer.

Said their findings suggested patients with bowel cancer and a family history should routinely be tested for a range of known cancer genes.

Found that inherited susceptibility to bowel cancer was common among patients with a family history of the disease.

Professor Richard Houlston: "Knowing which cancer gene has caused bowel cancer isn't just important for researchers -- it's crucial for the treatment, counselling and surveillance of patients and their relatives.

STUDY MAKES CASES FOR WIDER GENE TESTING IN BOWEL CANCER Institute of Cancer Research(January 5, 2015 )

Retroviruses use the enzyme reverse transcriptase to transcribe their RNA genoma the DNA of the cell.

Only some endogenous retroviruses are replication competent and produce enfectious.

Sufficient evidence has accumulated indicating that retroviruses play an important role in physiological processes.

KURTH, Reinhard. BENNERT, Norbert. Retroviruses Molecular Biology, Genomics and pathogenesis

Researchers have long been aware that endogenous retroviruses constitute around five percent of our DNA.

The findings indicate that, over the course of evolution, the viruses took an increasingly firm hold on the steering wheel in our cellular machinery.

The reason why viruses are activated specifically in the brain is probably due to the fact that tumours cannot form in nerve cells, unlike in other tissues.

DO VIRUSES MAKE US SMARTER? Lund University(January 12, 2015)

Johan Jakobsson: "We believe that the role of retroviruses can contribute to explaining why brain cells in particular are so dynamic and multifaceted in their function. It may also be the case that the viruses' more or less complex functions in various species can help us to understand why we are so different”.

DO VIRUSES MAKE US SMARTER? Lund University(January 12, 2015)

When we discover what is the mistake, science can develop new therapies like change the mutation gene to a new one.

Other important thing is the prevention of cancer. If we know that cancer can be passed from generation to generation, it is easier make the diagnostic and proper treatment.

If some retroviruses induce cancer in humans, in the future the retroviruses can be used for repair the genes and prevent cancer.

Use of retroviruses in gene therapy.

MARTINEZ SÁNCHEZ, Lina María. Biología molecular. 7. ed. Medellín: UPB. Fac. de Medicina, 2012. 77 p.

SHORS. Virus estudio molecular con orientacion clinica. Panamericana, 2009. 249 p.

KURTH, Reinhard. BENNERT, Norbert. Retroviruses Molecular Biology, Genomics and pathogenesis. Caister Academic Press. 2010. 35 p.