Everything you wanted to know about DNA, via Bauhinia flowers

What is molecular biology?

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/labs/genetics/dna_isolation/thymus_dna.htm

What do we know about DNA?Watson & Crick (based on data from Franklin) crack structure

The language of heredity & evolutionWatson & Crick (based on data from Franklin) crack structure

http://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Biology/section/8.1/http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_pre_2011/growth_development/genesrev1.shtml

The language of heredity & evolutionWatson & Crick (based on data from Franklin) crack structure

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_pre_2011/growth_development/genesrev1.shtml

Not binary code (1+0), but 4 bases64 combinations for 20 amino acids

What do we know about DNA?

How many letters (bases) in the Human Genome?

What do we know about DNA?

How many letters (bases) in the Human Genome?

3 billion basepairs (3Gbp, or 6Gbp if you count we are diploid)

What do we know about DNA?

How many letters (bases) in the Human Genome?

3 billion basepairs (3Gbp, or 6Gbp if you count we are diploid)

Stretching it out, how long would all the DNA in a (10μm) cell be?

What do we know about DNA?

How many letters (bases) in the Human Genome?

3 billion basepairs (3Gbp, or 6Gbp if you count we are diploid)

Stretching it out, how long would all the DNA in a (10μm) cell be?

2m long

What do we know about DNA?

How many letters (bases) in the Human Genome?

3 billion basepairs (3Gbp, or 6Gbp if you count we are diploid)

Stretching it out, how long would all the DNA in a cell be?

2m long

Stretching out all of the DNA in all your 50T cells how many times would it stretch to the moon and back?

What do we know about DNA?

How many letters (bases) in the Human Genome?

3 billion basepairs (3Gbp, or 6Gbp if you count we are diploid)

Stretching it out, how long would all the DNA in a cell be?

2m long

Stretching out all of the DNA in all your 50T cells how many times would it stretch to the moon and back?

100,000 times

From: http://www.jpgmonline.com/text.asp?2002/48/3/232/95

Fred Sanger figures out how to read DNA…

http://www.cambridge.org/asia/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9781107083349

So we decided to read it all!

Source: http://www.genome.gov/Images/press_photos/highres/38-300.jpg

Human Genome Project: 1990-2003. 1 Genome = $3 Billion

Post-Human Genome Project

1st Gen

2nd (next) Gen

Source: http://www.genome.gov/sequencingcosts/

Now at $1,000!

Sequencing in the field & clinic for biodiversity studies and medical testing.

Produces real-time data, can diagnose infectious disease in minutes. Used during Ebola crisis in W Africa.http://theconversation.com/how-a-small-backpack-for-fast-genomic-sequencing-is-helping-combat-ebola-41863

Not just giant machines. Nanopore sequencing.

So many things you can do with sequencing…study biodiversity

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320714004443 Fig 1. Environmental DNA studies detecting species from environmental samples.

So many things you can do with sequencing…study microbiome

You have more microbe than human cells (up to 10x more).

So many things you can do with sequencing…study ancient DNA

http://www.nature.com/news/dna-has-a-521-year-half-life-1.11555

Oldest species sequenced to date = 700,000 years old. DNA half life = 521 years. Is Jurassic Park possible?

?

We don’t just read DNA now…

Synthetic Biology &Genome Editing

From K Chow

Meet Synthia

http://www.bbc.com/news/10134341

Meet Synthia

The first genome designed by computer.

July 2, 2010

What would you like to make with synthetic DNA?How far should this work go? Any ethical concerns?

GENOMICS IN HONG KONG

BGI HK “Chamber O’Illumina’s”

Brought HK the worlds largest sequencing capacity

Genomics: something we are good at

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/01/dennis-lo-prenatal-research-cancer

Why is important? Need people to handle the biggest, "big data"

Big Data: Astronomical or Genomical?http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1002195

"by 2025, it is possible that as many as 25% of the population in developed nations and half of that in less-developed nations will have their genomes sequenced”

Need to build skills & awareness in HK

Brought to you by: HK CUHK

…and the people of Hong Kong

An emblematic genome project

A historical mystery that needs solving

?

Botanical & Afforestation Department, 1903: "The mysterious origin of the tree and its magnificent flowers at once arrest the interest. … So far, all efforts to identify them with any foreign species have failed"

Jean-Marie Delavay

Hybrids: like a Liger?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liger#/media/File:Liger_couple.jpg

The Hong Kong Orchid: not an orchid

An icon that needs protectingSusceptibility to disease?

Other uses for Bauhinia?

Latin name

Common name

(Nepal) Edible use Other useBauhinia purpurea Tanki

Flowers and young shoots eaten as vegetable. Leaves used as fodder.

Bauhinia valii BhorlaPods eaten as vegetable.

Fruits edible.

Stem bark used to make ropes.Leaves used to make umbrella

Traditional plates for ritual functions.

Bark juice used as fermenting material and to cure blood

dysentery.

Bauhinia variegata Koiralo

Young shoots and leaves eaten as vegetable. Flowers eaten as vegetable or used

to make pickle. N/A

http://bauhiniagenome.hk/get-involved/education/edible-bauhinia/

Tasty Emblem? Eaten in Nepal

Recipe: http://bauhiniagenome.hk/get-involved/education/recipe-koirala-achaar/

Help needed assembling the puzzle600M bp genome

Tricky hybrid genome

Need to assemble parents first

Chemicals cost $10,000 USD

Use university student projectshttp://bauhiniagenome.hk/

With Parts Made in (BGI) Hong Kong

A project that needs supporting

@bauhiniagenome #bauhinawatchhttps://www.facebook.com/BauhiniaGenome

http://bauhiniagenome.hk/

http://igg.me/at/bauhinia Follow us:

#bauhiniawatch

http://bauhiniagenome.hk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Bauhinia-identification-table.pdf

#bauhiniawatch

http://bauhiniagenome.hk/2015/12/bauhinia-watch-the-movie/

Extract your own DNA – how to guide

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/extraction/howto/ http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/strawberry-dna/

Any Questions?

Extra discussion: Is Bauhinia a GMO?

http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/06/19/how-your-food-would-look-if-not-genetically-modified-over-millennia /

In a way, all our food has been Genetically Modified

Hybrids are key to agriculture

http://www.slideshare.net/hannahreed/selective-breeding-powerpoint