2012 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2012. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

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Wow do some certain genes turn off or on?      Sarah Robart: I received my undergraduate in Biology from Queen's University (Canada), where my thesis specialized in cell cycle genetics in the fission yeast, S. pombe. I am currently completing my Master of Science in Genetic Counseling in Boston, MA, where I counsel individuals on their risks to develop or pass on hereditary conditions, and help coordinate medical care for individuals who have genetic conditions. Yes, they do! Certain genes are turned off or on depending on what tissue or cell they are in, what developmental period the organism is in, and the environment that that cell is exposed to at the time. (For example, an eye cell doesn't necessarily need to be expressing genes that would be critical to the function of a heart cell) Palms Middle School in CA (7th grade student)

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