Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Exploring the gene with X-rays

K L Manchester1

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Trends in Genetics : TIG
|December 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

X-rays, discovered 100 years ago, were studied for their effects on cell mutation. A classic paper used X-rays to estimate gene size and explore gene stability mechanisms.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Catalysis of guanine nucleotide exchange on eIF2 by eIF2B: can it be both a substituted enzyme and a sequential mechanism?

Biochemical and biophysical research communications·2001
Same author

Antoine Béchamp: pere de la biologie. Oui ou non?

Endeavour·2001
Same author

Biochemistry comes of age: a century of endeavour.

Endeavour·2000
Same author

Arthur Harden: an unwitting pioneer of metabolic control analysis.

Trends in biochemical sciences·2000
Same author

The use of poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) polymers as spacers for isotachophoresis in sieving gel matrices.

Analytical biochemistry·1999
Same author

Synthesis of zwitterionic acrylic acid buffers for isoelectric focusing in immobilized pH gradients.

Electrophoresis·1998

Area of Science:

  • Radiation Biology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • X-rays were discovered a century ago.
  • Early research recognized X-ray effects on cellular mutation.
  • The stability of genes presented a significant scientific question.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To estimate the size of a gene.
  • To investigate the mechanisms underlying gene stability.
  • To leverage the known mutagenic effects of X-rays for genetic research.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing X-ray radiation as a tool.
  • Applying quantitative methods to estimate gene size.
  • Analyzing mutation data to infer genetic properties.

Main Results:

  • Provided an early estimate for gene size.
  • Offered insights into the physical nature of genes.
  • Contributed to understanding gene stability.

Conclusions:

  • X-rays can be employed to probe gene structure and size.
  • The stability of the gene is a key characteristic.
  • This foundational work paved the way for future genetic research.

Related Experiment Videos