Abstract
Ever since Watson and Crick decoded the structure
of the DNA in 1953, genetic studies have been
subjected to much scientific analysis that have
exposed many secretes of nature and the way living
systems operate with one another. The knowledge
that we have today about living organisms is centered
on the operation of the genetic code: those amino
acid sequences that are present in DNA and RNA.
The primary idea behind the transmission of information
came to be considered as a dogma that sought to
explain transmission of genetic information across
all animals. In this idea, information was passed
on from the DNA, which with the help of RNA supervised
the production of proteins that are the building
blocks of the human body. However, the lack of
DNA in some animals in which the genetic transfer
of information was perfect was a big jolt to the
central dogma theory that considered DNA as the
king in the transfer of information across generations.
The process of information transmission from
the DNA to the RNA to Proteins may be summarized
as
1. The DNA replicates its information in a process
that involves many enzymes: replication.
2. The DNA codes for the production of messenger
RNA (mRNA) during transcription.
3. In eukaryotic cells, the mRNA is processed
(essentially by splicing) and migrates from the
nucleus to the cytoplasm.
4. Messenger RNA carries coded information to
ribosomes. The ribosomes "read" this
information and use it for protein synthesis.
This process is called translation.
The there’re branches of science Genomics,
Proteomics and Metabolics have helped to throw
more light on the genetic mechanisms that occur
in our body. Genomics is the study of how the
genes in the genome (all the genes in an animal.
For example the human genome consists of 30,000
genes) interact, influence and function in relation
to one another. Classical genetics was concerned
with the study of single sets of genes that could
influence certain peculiar aspects of the physical
body.
Proteomics is an attempt made at studying the
huge variety of proteins found inside a cell at
a given time. It is known that the genetic information
in the DNA gets transcribed to the RNA which in
turn, creates the proteins. Now, there needs to
be a way to decipher the structure of the number
of proteins that are produced from the DNA strands.
Only a detailed analysis of the proteins will
give us an exact idea of their structure, their
relation with the specific DNA strands, and how
they have been manufactured from a set of related
nucleic acids.
Metabolics specifically allude to the study of
metabolites that are produced by the metabolism
of the proteins and other compounds in the body.
Genomics, Proteomics and Metabolics currently
support the central Dogma, but they are not closed
branches of science. In fact recent research efforts
may serve to question the validity of the central
dogma considering the fact that newer issues and
a wealth of knowledge are coming our way. The
combined research on these three branches of science
may break the central dogma paradigm that is so
vehemently supported by many scientists worldwide.
A paradigm is a generally accepted perspective
of a particular discipline at a given time and
it won’t be long before the paradigm is
questioned to incorporate elements of a newer
and more critical path of thought. The deluge
of information that could potentially shake the
central dogma comes from the information that
we are getting from bioinformatics. Bioinformatics
is that branch of biology that is concerned with
the creation of databases; essentially information
that pertains to the genetic sequences of animals
and plants. With more information being available
at hand, we seem to unravel newer mysteries and
challenges that seem to suggest that perhaps DNA
need not play such an important role in genetic
transfer of information. This seems imminent because
scientists have already isolated DNA sequences
that seem to stay dormant. In addition, many proteins
that are different from the corresponding nuclei
acid sequences in the DNA have also been found
and isolated. Only further studies would prove
whether the DNA is the undeniable genetic material
or whether RNA or some other bio-molecule would
take its place.
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