Question

How would you explain the effects that a mistake in transcription or translation could have on an organism?

A friend of mine is a "cleaning nut". She insists that when she cleans her bathroom it is sterile. Thinking about the difference between disinfecting and sterilization, what would you tell her?

Hand sanitizers are found everywhere. Antibiotics are in hand soap, dish soaps and even some lotions. Why is this a bad idea? Why does it matter when considering human pathogens?

What would you say to someone who had not studied biology if they told you that all mutants or mutations are harmful? Why? Explain?

Do you have any mutations in your family members or yourself? My first husband's family and it resulted in his death, the death of his mother, two sisters, one brother and a niece. Human diseases are mostly caused by genetic mutations or pathogens. What can you add here?

Answer 1

1. In transcription the error rates are possible but are very low and expected as 10^-6 or 10^-7. Since, the RNA is not inheritable genetic material, the errors are not bothered. Moreover, cell can make several copies of RNA. Though RNA polymerase does not have proof reading capacity like that of DNA polymerase, the errors in transcription does not make a sense because RNA is easily degraded and the altered RNA can be the degraded one. In translation also the aminoacyl tRNA synthetase is specific for an aminoacid and by chance if wrong amino acid is insertted the proof reading may eliminate the wrong amino acid. Therefore, the error rate possible is 10^-4 to 10^-5 . But, the errors in translation may some time result in defected protein causing a genetic disorder.

2. Decontamination is acheived by both the processes of disinfection and sterilization. Disinfection is the process of removal or reducing the microorganisms from the surfaces and inanimate objects. Sterilization is elimination of micoorganisms by killing them.

3. Antibiotics in hand soaps, dish wash soaps and hand sanitizers is a bad idea because, long usage of such soaps enable the microorganisms to gain resistant and after sometime, these soaps and sanitizers may not be effective and may cause infections.

4. Mutations are sudden heritable changes. There are several mutations. Some mutations are lethal to organisms and some are beneficial. For example, an organism with altered gene or chromosomal aberration undergone a mutation that deletes the aberration. Now, the organism is normal and healthy. Some mutations are neutral also. This means they do not show either positive or negative effect on the organisms and organisms are normal and healthy.