Analyze critically and apply the major principles of cell and molecular biology

As a Biology major, we often get to learn about many topics, but most often we get drilled about the major principles of cell and molecular biology. These principles include DNA (replication, gene expression, etc.), the central dogma, protein synthesis, and cell cycles, such as mitosis and meiosis. Even outside of my undergraduate career, high school teachers, when you take biology, drill these into you so that you don’t forget it.

When it comes to DNA, this is a major topic point in any class. You learn how DNA is replicated and how scientists got there, to Watson and Crick, or more importantly Rosalind Franklin, and how genes become traits (physical or not). This topic was especially important when I took Biology 364, or Genetics. We discussed how DNA replicated and how the genetic code turned into genes that transcribed into physical traits of an organism. In this class, we performed an experiment to try and knockout a gene, using CrisperCas 9, and assess the results of what occured when that gene was knocked-out. My group and I decided to remove the WFS1 gene to determine whether it would improve of worsen the oxidative stress on cells. Below is a link to the proposal presentation for this experiment.

The central dogma and protein synthesis often goes hand in hand. The central dogma is how DNA is transcribed into RNA and then translated into proteins. It’s called the central dogma because it is the basis of how a cell functions, and without this process, the cell would not be able to function properly. Protein synthesis is a portion of the dogma, or the translation process of turning RNA into protein. This is also important because it is the mechanism of how proteins come to be, and how important they are to cells. We learn a lot about proteins in Biology/Chemistry 412, or biochemistry. In this course, we learn how a protein folds and the importance of those folds.

Knowing all this information is huge, because it helps to better understand the larger picture in biology. The larger picture could be a disease that is genetically inherited, and understanding how it functions could help to better understand how to cure it. This is important for my future as a medical student because new technology is created everyday based on these principles. The new technology that could be created to cure diseases, and the like, could benefit me to help patients feel like themselves and be able to live a longer life with less pain and suffering.

Below is two artifacts based on a project that was performed in my genetics class. The first link is for the proposal powerpoint and the second is the final poster on that project as well.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aT0FWS57I8hAFe54cxRh8gUrXnQmAqull54CZYyL6fY/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cbm5gRrr_w-2HBv2p1SFhjP0gwRVg-ORUunqP0TbAWM/edit?usp=sharing