http://www.spe.sony.com/Pictures/SonyMovies/movies/Gattaca/the_film.

htm
Gattaca
All about
 DNA
DNA is a natural polymer made up of
5' end

O-
individual units called monomers
O P O-
O Base
O
H H
H H
O H
O P O- O
NH2
O Base
O N N
H H N HN
H H
O H N N H2N N N
O P O- H H
O Base
O Adenine (A) Guanine (G)
H H
H H
O H
NH2
O P O- Purines
O Base
O
N H H
N H H NH2 O
O H
O P O- CH3
N HN
N
N O Base
O
H H O N O N
HO H H H H
O OH H
H H Cytosine (C) Thymine (T)
3' end
H H
O H

O P O-
ss-DNA Pyrimidines

O-
 The structure of DNA
3'end
5' end

H OH
O- H H
H
O P O - H H
O H N O H N H
Base Base O
O O
H H -O P O N N H N H
H H H O Phosphate - Sugar N N
O H H H
H H N H O Sugar - Phosphate
O P O-
O O H
O Base Base
O
3.4Å H H -O P O (G) (C)
H H H O
O H H H
O P O- H H
O O-
O Base Base
O -
O P O H
H H
H H H O H N N H O CH3
O H H H
O P O- H H N
O N H N H
Base Base O Phosphate - Sugar
O O N N
H H -O P O H O Sugar - Phosphate
H H H O
O H H H
(A) (T)
O P O- H H
O O
O Base Base
O -
O P O
H H
H H O-
OH H

5' end
3' end

ds-DNA
DNA
http://www.spe.sony.com/Pictures/SonyMovies/movies/Gattaca/the_film.htm
 Gattaca
The film has two key premises,
1) Being able to determine an individuals genetic
sequence and with this sequence have a
knowledge of whether this sequence gives the
individual a genetic advantage over others
2) Being able to control the genetics of an individual
prior to birth to give it a genetic advantage.

Both these premises rely on genetic screening to

detect a specific sequence of DNA

So where does the DNA come from and how can it be

detected?
 The Location of DNA in Life
Animal Cell

Nucleus

Ribosome
chromatin
 Protein
synthesis

•DNA is the blueprint

•RNA is the foreman

•Proteins are the builders

•The organism is the house

 Detecting genes
•So detecting genes allows the determination of what
proteins can be made
•Detection of mutations in a gene will then tell you
whether the protein will be made correctly
•A mutation is where one or more of the bases is no
longer the correct one.
•Mutations have different degrees of severity on
protein synthesis and function
 DNA Bases – Nucleic Acids
CH3

O
Adenine NH2 ……CTAATGT……
NH NH
N
Thymine ……GATTACA…….
N
O
N N
H

N
H
Guanine O
N NH
N H
N
O
H
N
H N N Cytosine
H
Gattaca
All about
Gattaca
 Blood Glucose Monitoring -
Biosensors

Electrode Enzyme Layer

 Pregnancy Test Kits

Example: Pregnancy test

L
Uses antibodies to detect
Human Choronionic Gonadothrophin (hCG)

http://www.unipath.co.uk/
 Affymetrix Gene Chips

http://www.affymetrix.com/
 Affymetrix Gene Chips

http://www.affymetrix.com/
 DNA is in the Nucleus

Need to get it out, purify it and amplify it before detection.

These steps still need to be automated for rapid DNA identification
Gattaca
 Well what about getting a
whole genetic sequence?
•Human genome project to provide the first draft
sequence of a typical human took about 10 years

•This tells us the letters in the genetic words but not what
the words mean.

•Understanding the meaning of the words is

understanding gene function.

•This is the information we are currently lacking

•Understanding gene function is a highly active area of

research.
World’s Cheapest DNA Sequencer
From Illumina Inc
One sequence costs US$4000
4-14 days
http://www.illumina.com/index.ilmn
 What about designer babies?
•Once a gene function is known, biochemical tools could
be used to allow the DNA to be cut, a gene removed and
another added, the methods for doing this are called
recombinant DNA techniques
•Doing this gives you a genetically modified organism
(GMO)
•This is the beginning of designing a baby as in Gattaca.
•We have all these tools, again the area we are lacking is
in gene function