UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST
FACULTY OF PHYSICS

Guest
2024-11-24 21:14
 HOME     CONFERENCES     SEARCH            LOGIN     NEW USER     IMAGES   


Conference: Bucharest University Faculty of Physics 2001 Meeting


Section: Biophysics; Medical Physics


Title:
THE DECIPHERING OF HUMAN GENOME: A FINAL POINT OR A NEW BEGINNING?


Authors:
AUREL I. POPESCU, MARIUS BULACU, CATALIN GEANTA


Affiliation:
Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, Bucharest-Magurele, POBox MG 11, ROMANIA


E-mail


Keywords:


Abstract:
In the Nature issue of 15 February 2001, a special section, comprising a set of papers, extending on about 150 pages, is dedicated to the Human Genome Sequence, recently deciphered, as an effort both of publicly founded international Human Genome Project (HGP) and the private company Celera Genomics of Rockville, Maryland (CGR). This issue is accompanied by an educational CD-ROM, including a historical evolution of genetics, the background of the HGP and teaching aids to explain the fundamental principles of genetics. This lecture is approaching the following points: a) a sketch of the main steps of genetics, b) the contribution of physicists to DNA structure determination, c) the striking features of Human Genome, d) the trends in HG approaches and the future perspective for a better understanding and curing of the hereditary diseases. a) As concerns the first goal of this lecture, we shall start with the Mendel`s laws of genetics, we shall emphasize the Genetic Code discovery, as the most important achievement of the century, and we shall finish describing the modalities of gene sequencing. b) Here, we shall mention the contributions of some great physicists (Schrödinger, Delbrück, Gamow, Perutz, Kendrew, Crick etc.) to the development of gene biophysics. c) Some of the notable features of HG, among which the much lower number of genes than anticipated (about twice as many as in fly!), and the very high percentage of "junk DNA" in each gene, are striking. d) The impact of HG sequencing represents a promising beginning in: understanding of human genetic diseases, identification of drug targets and unravelling of the still unsolved problems of physiology and cellular biology.