What Is Mutation? What Is a Gene Mutation? Discuss Sickle Cell Anemia (Its Cause, Effect, and Treatment) B) What Are Mutagens and Their Effects? C) What Is Genetic Counseling? Discuss the Advantages and Disadvantages of This Procedure.

The perfect combination of research, personal connection, and health care. Genetic Counseling is the practice of informing and advising patients who may have a potential risk of genetic disorders concerning appropriate testing methods, medical treatment, and many other critical decisions concerning their health. I have chosen to pursue the career of genetic counseling because it fulfills the dream I have had that I will one day be able to do research concerning genetics and interact with the patients that the research would affect. My decision to become a genetic counselor has been influenced by many factors; including my high school biology class, which played a part in introducing me to the profession, and my personal discovery of the unique

1. What is a mutation? A permanent change in the DNA sequence of a gene.

Genetic Counselling is used to provide support advice and information about genetic conditions. This could include learning about the health condition that runs in the family and how it is inherited and who can be affected by it. An

The definition of genetic counseling is, “an educational counseling process for individuals and families who have a genetic disease or may be at risk for a disease to facilitate informed decision-making” (Definition of genetic counseling). In years past many genetic counselors have received all different types of School Improvement Grant awards (SIG). In order to become a genetic counselor one must first need to graduate college with a masters degree, pass 31 programs and then a few comprehensive exams, and constantly continue my education in the field.

According to Berger (2014), a patient can receive genetic counseling to learn more about a condition/disease he or she may possibly be at risk for and may possibly pass onto their children (p. 88). A genetic counselor is educated and trained to describe to the patient the condition/disease, the benefits and drawbacks for taking the genetic test, the test results’ meaning, and how having the condition could affect their future children (Berger, 2014, p. 88). Then, the patient – not the genetic counselor – makes decisions about his or her next steps with respect to all the information they have been provided by the genetic counselor (Berger, 2014, p. 89).

Gene mutations are also known as point mutations and they involve changes in the structure of a gene due to the change in their chemical nature. Examples of three main mutations that occur in a gene are:

A Genetic Counselor is someone who provides information and support to those who have birth defects, genetic disorders or at risk of such conditions. They may also look for treatment of disorders, or conduct research on the cause or they may work to help the families and individuals understand the condition they or others may have. To be a genetic counselor you have to have completed master's degree program in genetic counseling. Students should prepare with undergraduate courses in biology, chemistry, genetics, and psychology. Some the top schools to go to outside of Virginia for genetic counseling majors is Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, or Boston University School of Medicine. Though schools that are in state and are

As a genetic counselor, there are specific duties that are required on a day-to-day basis. The main duty required of a genetic counselor is to “provide a critical service to individuals and families considering undergoing genetic testing by helping them identify their risks for certain disorders, investigate family health history, interpret information and determine if testing is needed” (National Society of Genetic Counselors). Genetic counselors are the sole connection between patients looking for answers and the study completed by geneticists. They work as genetic specific psychologists diving into the patient and their family

Genetic mutations are lifelong variances in DNA sequences. The majority of disease-causing gene mutations are unusual in the overall population. The two major classifications of gene mutations are germinal and somatic mutations. Germinal mutations are immediately inherited from a parent, and they will affect every single cell. If the DNA from the sperm or egg cell contains a mutation, the resulting fertilized egg also inherits the mutation. Somatic mutations occur by environmental factors or when an error appears during DNA replication. Unlike germinal mutations, a somatic mutation only affects the mutated cells. Mutations typically have a negative connotation; however, they are not always harmful,

Gene Mutations: A gene mutation is a permanent change in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene. Mutations can vary in size from a single DNA building block (Fig 2) to a large section of a chromosome. Gene mutations occur in two ways, either they can be inherited from a parent or attained during a person’s lifetime. Mutations that are passed from parent to child are called hereditary mutations. This type of mutation is present throughout a person’s life in practically every cell in the body. Mutations that take place only in an egg can cause genetic disorders when a family has no history of the ailment. Environmental factors such as radiation (Fig 8) can cause acquired mutations in the DNA

In the environment where animal testing is not allowed, determining possible genotoxicity of a compound is possible with the help of the Ames test (Samiei et al. 121). The specified instrument represents a “bacterial reverse mutation assay” (Samiei et al. 121), which will ostensibly help detect a mutagenic compound. The test involves using the strains of Salmonella/E.coli. As a rule, the following strains are used to detect the presence of cancerogenic elements: “TA97, TA98, TA100, TA102, TA104, TA1535, TA1537, and TA1538” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). The test is based on the concept of reverse (back) mutation. The bacteria are cultured in the presence of 2-Aminoanthracene as a supposedly mutagenic compound and without histidine. In case Salmonella/E.coli becomes capable of producing histidine and continues to proliferate, the mutagenic nature of 2-Aminoanthracene will be proven (Ruiz-Pérez et al. 6743). Since the test is known for delivering false positive results, the control tools such as TA98, TA98 and TA1538,

Mutation is only relevant when it occurs in the gametes, unless mutation causes cancer and limits the individual’s reproductive success. Mutation is also the only way for novel genetic material to be invented. The new genetic material creates new alleles which causes evolution over time. Genetic drift is random changes in gene frequencies in a population’s gene pool caused by chance events of inheritance. This may lead to certain traits, alleles, to become more common in a population. Certain traits may also disappear due to this occurring as well. While the effect of genetic drift is seen and experienced all over the world, it is magnified in small populations. Gene flow is the transfer of alleles from 1 gene pool to another gene pool. The transfer of alleles is caused by breeding across typical population boundaries. What gene flow does is that it introduces new alleles to a population, thereby reducing the differences among the population. Finally there are 2 schools of philosophies that are used to classify species, evolutionary systematics and phylogenetic systematics. Evolutionary systematics is a more holistic way to study evolutionary relationships while observing the

There are a wide range of jobs in the field of Genetics. Genetics is important because it gives scientists information on the gene’s of the body, heredity, genetic variation, and how each of these things play a part in the function of a living organism. One job in the field of Genetics is a Genetic Counselor. Genetic Counselors work with people who have an inherited risk of acquiring or also carrying certain genetic disorders. They evaluate the family tree to find where the illness stemmed from, who else in the family has had it and the likelihood that they will suffer from it as well. They help patients gain an understanding of the disorder before it occurs so, they will know how to take care of it in the future. Ordering genetic tests in an accurate way to search for illnesses present in a person’s family.

To begin with, mutations (any change in the DNA sequence of an organism) introduce new genetic information into a population by altering alleles (a form of a gene usually arising through mutation) that are already present. Occasionally, a mutation introduces a new allele into the gene pool of species. On the other hand, a mutation may introduce an allele that was deficient in a local population. Meanwhile, it is present in other populations of species. All the different

Point Mutation: is a nucleotide base change in the DNA that is caused by mutation. It may result in the loss, addition or substitution of a nucleotide. Where a single nucleotide base in the DNA strand is altered.