Part 15: About genomics and proteomics
The study of nucleic acids began with the discovery of DNA, progressed to the study of genes and small fragments, and has now exploded to the field of genomics.…
Part 14: Disruptions in the immune system
A functioning immune system is essential for survival, but even the sophisticated cellular and molecular defenses of the mammalian immune response can be defeated by pathogens at virtually every step.…
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Part 13: The adaptive immune system (cont)
Immunological Memory
The adaptive immune system has a memory component that allows for a rapid and large response upon reinvasion of the same pathogen.…
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Part 12: The adaptive immune system
The adaptive, or acquired, immune response takes days or even weeks to become established – much longer than the innate response; however, adaptive immunity is more specific to an invading pathogen.…
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Part 11: The innate immune system (cont)
Internal defense mechanisms
Inflammation
If pathogens manage to breach the barriers protecting the body, one of the first active responses of the innate immune system kicks in.…
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Part 10: The immune system
Introduction
The vertebrate, including human, immune system is a complex multilayered system for defending against external and internal threats to the integrity of the body.…
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Part 9: Viruses and the diseases they cause
No one knows exactly when viruses emerged or from where they came, since viruses do not leave historical footprints such as fossils.…
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Part 8: Gene expression
Each somatic cell in the body generally contains the same DNA. A few exceptions include red blood cells, which contain no DNA in their mature state, and some immune system cells, which rearrange their DNA while producing antibodies.…
Part 7: The heterocatalytic function of nucleic acids
The heterocatalytic function is how DNA controls the development of the body, that is how it decodes the genetic information and transforms it into specific proteins by transcription and translation.
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Part 6: The autocatalytic function of nucleic acids
The autocatalytic function is how DNA reproduces itself, that is the process of replication by semiconservative mechanism with duplication of genetic information.
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Part 5: The nucleic acids DNA and RNA
The nucleic acids DNA and RNA are key macromolecules in the continuity of life. They carry the genetic blueprint of a cell and carry instructions for the functioning of the cell.…
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Part 4: Reproduction at cellular level
The individual sexually reproducing organism – including humans – begins life as a fertilized egg, or zygote. Trillions of cell divisions subsequently occur in a controlled manner to produce a complex, multicellular organism like, for instance, the human organism.…
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