Gene Overview

A gene is the basic physical and functional unit of heredity. Additionally, DNA makes up genes. Some genes act as instructions to make molecules called proteins. However, many genes do not code for proteins.

In humans, genes vary in size, ranging from a few hundred DNA bases to more than 2 million bases. Furthermore, the international research effort called the Human Genome Project, which worked to determine the sequence of the human genome and identify the genes that it contains, estimated that humans have between 20,000 and 25,000 genes.

What is a Gene?

In essence, genes are segments of DNA that provide your body with the instructions for a specific characteristic (trait) or process. Moreover, DNA consists of the molecules that make up those instructions.

Your cells package it into chromosomes. If DNA is like a library, then your chromosomes are books; consequently, your genes serve as specific chapters in those books that describe you and how your body works.

When you hear something like “it’s in your genes,” most people think of having your mom’s smile or your dad’s eyes. Nevertheless, genes have many jobs beyond just the traits you can see.

Your genes also give instructions for how your various body parts work and interact with each other. For example, genes write instructions not just for your hair color, eye color, and height, but also for how your muscles help you move and how your immune system responds to germs.

Meanwhile, while experts don’t know the exact number, they estimate that humans have about 20,000 genes. This, in turn, counts the genes that give your cells instructions (code) for making proteins.

Additionally, there are also non-coding sections of your DNA that have other jobs. Consequently, there’s some debate about whether these should be considered genes.

Genes and Alleles

Furthermore, your chromosomes come in pairs, and so do your genes. Specifically, you get one copy from your biological mother and one from your biological father. As a result, your two sets of genes aren’t an exact match.

What’s more, when cells are dividing, chromosomes can swap parts (crossing over), so each of your chromosomes ends up being a unique mix of both of your parents’ genes — thus, completely unique to you. This is one of the reasons why most people don’t look exactly like either of their parents or even their siblings.

Different versions of a gene constitute alleles. For instance, in a chapter about eye color, one allele might contain the sentence for brown eyes and one might contain the sentence for blue eyes. Consequently, the alleles that your DNA carries are called your genotype. In contrast, the trait you actually have (in this example, brown eyes or blue eyes) is your phenotype.

How Does Genes Work?

Genes give your body instructions to make proteins that create every part of your body and tell each part how to work. **Specifically**, they tell your cell’s machinery:

  • First, what amino acids (individual parts of proteins) to use to make a specific protein
  • Next, where in the DNA to start making the protein
  • Finally, Where in the DNA to stop making the protein

Moreover, genes can be turned on or off or send different instructions. **This variability** depends on where in your body they are or what’s happening in your body (for instance, if you’re injured or sick). Additionally, your environment can also influence what your genes do (called epigenetics).”

Each gene consists of a string of DNA. In addition, DNA has its own language it uses to tell your cells what protein to make. Specifically, mRNA copies (transcribes) the instructions from the DNA for each gene. Furthermore, it brings the instructions out of the nucleus to organ-like structures (ribosomes) to read (translate).

Additionally, each grouping of three letters of the DNA’s language (called a codon) instructs the ribosome to add a specific amino acid. Moreover, it can also instruct the ribosome to start or stop making the protein. Consequently, in this way, the ribosome speaks DNA’s language.

On another note, there are 20 amino acids that can string together in nearly endless combinations. As a result, that means our genes can code for an almost infinite number of traits and functions through proteins (scientists estimate there are over 100,000 types of proteins in humans).

Biospecimens

biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Moreover, human biospecimens are available including tumor tissue, serum, plasma and PBMC samples from most other therapeutic areas.

Furthermore, Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and likewise normal healthy donors for controls. Additionally, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, researchers find the patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens extremely valuable and use it to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, as well as in other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human biofluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as  human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.