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Chapter 22: Problem 25

Some critics have warned that the use of gene therapy to correct genetic disorders will affect the course of human evolution. Evaluate this criticism in light of what you know about population genetics and evolution, distinguishing between somatic gene therapy and germ-line gene therapy.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Somatic gene therapy does not have a significant impact on human evolution because it only affects the individual receiving treatment and does not alter the genetic makeup of future generations. The changes made in somatic gene therapy are limited to somatic (non-reproductive) cells, which means they are not passed on to the offspring.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding gene therapy

Gene therapy is a treatment method that involves altering the genes inside a person's cells to treat or prevent disease. The main goal of gene therapy is to correct faulty genes, thus allowing the cells to function properly.
02

Understanding population genetics and evolution

Population genetics is the study of the genetic makeup of populations and how these gene frequencies change over time. Evolution, on the other hand, is the change in the genetic makeup of a population over generations. It occurs through mechanisms such as natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, and mutation.
03

Understanding somatic gene therapy and germ-line gene therapy

Somatic gene therapy involves altering the genes within the affected individual's somatic (non-reproductive) cells. This means that the changes made are not passed on to the offspring. In contrast, germ-line gene therapy involves altering the genes within reproductive cells (sperm or eggs), which means that the changes made can be passed on to future generations.
04

Evaluating the effect of somatic gene therapy on human evolution

Somatic gene therapy targets specific individuals who are affected by a genetic disorder. Since the changes are limited to somatic cells and are not passed on to future generations, the effect of somatic gene therapy on human evolution is negligible. However, it can lead to improved health and quality of life for the individuals treated.
05

Evaluating the effect of germ-line gene therapy on human evolution

Germ-line gene therapy has the potential to affect human evolution since it targets reproductive cells and can be passed on to future generations. By correcting genetic disorders in germ cells, this therapy could potentially eliminate specific conditions from the gene pool. However, the long-term implications of germ-line gene therapy on human evolution are still uncertain and require further study. Ethical and social concerns also arise when considering germ-line gene therapy, as it could lead to intentional manipulation of human traits, like intelligence or physical appearance.
06

Conclusion

In light of population genetics and evolution, the criticism is valid only for germ-line gene therapy, as it has the potential to affect human evolution due to changes being passed on to future generations. Somatic gene therapy, on the other hand, has a minimal impact on human evolution since it only affects the individual receiving treatment and does not alter the genetic makeup of future generations.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

In a recent study of cichlid fish inhabiting Lake Victoria in Africa, Nagl et al. (1998. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. IUSA/ 95: \(14,238-14,243\) ) examined suspected neutral sequence polymorphisms in noncoding genomic loci in 12 species and their putative river-living ancestors. At all loci, the same polymorphism was found in nearly all of the tested species from Lake Victoria, both lacustrine and riverine. Different polymorphisms at these loci were found in cichlids at other African lakes. (a) Why would you suspect neutral sequences to be located in noncoding genomic regions? (b) What conclusions can be drawn from these polymorphism data in terms of cichlid ancestry in these lakes?

The use of nucleotide sequence data to measure genetic variability is complicated by the fact that the genes of higher eukaryotes are complex in organization and contain \(5^{\prime}\) and \(3^{\prime}\) flanking regions as well as introns. Researchers have compared the nucleotide sequence of two cloned alleles of the \(\gamma\) -globin gene from a single individual and found a variation of 1 percent. Those differences include 13 substitutions of one nucleotide for another and 3 short DNA segments that have been inserted in one allele or deleted in the other. None of the changes takes place in the gene's exons (coding regions). Why do you think this is so, and should it change our concept of genetic variation?

In a population that meets the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium assumptions, \(81 \%\) of the individuals are homozygous for a recessive allele. What percentage of the individuals would be expected to be heterozygous for this locus in the next generation?

Price et al. (1999. J. Bacteriol. 181: 2358-2362) conducted a genetic study of the toxin transport protein (PA) of Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax in humans. Within the 2294-nucleotide gene in 26 strains they identified five point mutations-two missense and three synonyms-among different isolates. Necropsy samples from an anthrax outbreak in 1979 revealed a novel missense mutation and five unique nucleotide changes among ten victims. The authors concluded that these data indicate little or no horizontal transfer between different \(B\). anthracis strains. (a) Which types of nucleotide changes (missense or synonyms) cause amino acid changes? (b) What is meant by horizontal transfer? (c) On what basis did the authors conclude that evidence of horizontal transfer is absent from their data?

Population geneticists study changes in the nature and amount of genetic variation in populations, the distribution of different genotypes, and how forces such as selection and drift act on genetic variation to bring about evolutionary change in populations and the formation of new species. From the explanation given in the chapter, what answers would you propose to the following fundamental questions? (a) How do we know how much genetic variation is in a population? (b) How do geneticists detect the presence of genetic variation as different alleles in a population? (c) How do we know whether the genetic structure of a population is static or dynamic? (d) How do we know when populations have diverged to the point that they form two different species? (e) How do we know the age of the last common ancestor shared by two species?
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