BIOTECHNOLOGY - Inshyna N.M. - 2009

CHAPTER 1. GENETIC ENGINEERING

New Trends in Genetic Research: Genomics, Behavioral Genetics

Unlike genetics and molecular biology, which focus on individual genes, Genomics examines all The genes of an Organism simultaneously as a single, dynamic system whose components are interconnected and interact with one another.

Functional genomics investigates and identifies Gene Functions, as well as the functional interactions among genes under normal and pathological conditions.

Genomics aims not only at theoretical research but also at the Structure/182.html">Practical Application of Introduction/32.html">Genetic Engineering achievements.

Ethnogenomics is a new branch of genomics that explores the Specific features of genome functioning in human populations of different ethnicities.

As is well-known, the traditional diet of a particular ethnic group depends on their lifestyle and natural environment. For instance, the Chinese and the indigenous peoples of the North do not consume milk and dairy products. Research shows that these populations frequently experience a metabolic disorder known as hypolactaseptidase deficiency—an insufficient level of the enzyme lactase, which hydrolyzes milk sugar (lactose). In China, only 2-5% of the adult population consumes milk, compared to 30% in Russia, and 90% in Denmark and the Netherlands.

The hereditary disorder phenylketonuria is 2.5 times more common in Ireland and England than in Russia and Ukraine. As is known, the condition is caused by an insufficient amount of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase in the body. A toxic substance, phenylpyruvate, accumulates in the Blood of individuals with phenylketonuria. The consequence of phenylketonuria is mental retardation.

In Russia, roughly 1 in 2,000 to 3,000 people cannot digest grains, a condition known as celiac disease. In Ireland, 1 in 100 residents suffers from this disorder, as grain cultivation began much later there than in other European countries.

Finns and Russians tend to have a higher alcohol tolerance, whereas people from Southeast Asia can experience severe intoxication even from small doses of alcohol. This is linked to a mutation prevalent in Asian populations that causes a rapid accumulation of acetaldehyde in the blood. In Russians, the accumulation of acetaldehyde is 10 times lower than in Asians. Overall, genetic factors account for 40-60% of a person's predisposition to alcohol.

Hunting populations exhibit distinct genetic traits. Among hunter-gatherer groups, color blindness and other visual impairments are rare (1%), whereas in European populations they occur in 5-7%. Thus, every ethnic group possesses distinct characteristics in genome functioning.

Behavioral Genetics (Psychogenetics)

Psychogenetics emerged approximately 40 years ago in the USA through the integration of achievements in physics, mathematics, genetics, and psychoanalysis.

In 1992, American scientists demonstrated that influencing the human subconscious can alter and correct METABOLISM/28.html">The Genetic Code. This discovery was awarded the Nobel Prize.

As is well-known, there are three ways to modify The Genome: chemical, physical (irradiation), and psychological intervention. Following subconscious intervention, hereditary changes were observed in The Human Genome. Even cases of advanced-stage Cancer remission were documented. It is believed that 97% of human diseases are psychosomatic in nature. Psychogenetics specialists can calculate with mathematical precision the laws governing an individual's life, explain why certain events occurred, forecast the future, and, if necessary, perform a correction of the genetic code.