The Attractin Gene

For the remainder of this week, I devoted myself to continuing in my efforts to sequence intron 4 in the attractin gene for the selected mice specimen from Kenzin and Carrizozo, NM. Realizing how much PCR the laboratory is conducting, we have now lowered the volume of each PCR reaction, as the supply costs rapidly increase with each individual who joins the laboratory. I further continued to enter the sequence data that I obtained and cleaned on Monday into a table showing the polymorphic sites (regions of nucleotide base variance) in each individual.

In addition to continuing with my own research on the attractin gene and its role in the agouti-Mc1r (two other genes involved in pigmentation) pigmentation system, I also attended a lab meeting in which a post-doctorate working at the laboratory discussed her research concerning the relation of the Y chromosome with reproductive isolation in house mice. Reproductive isolation is when two populations are unable to mate with one another due to many circumstances, such as different mating calls or different mating seasons. This leads to the formation of a new species. The Y chromosome is the sex chromosome associated with male characteristics in mammals. The long-term goal of her research is to determine the genetic cause of male sterility. According to her data at this stage in her research, the Y chromosome is not necessary for sterility; however, she has only studied a small sample size and has not examined all desired phenotypes associated with fertility, such as testis size and sperm count. During her presentation, the many scientists in the room thought of two opposing hypotheses for the reason as to why her data disagreed with data in a referenced published paper. This intellectual disagreement is truly evidence for the need for research and discovery in order to uncover the truth about nature that individuals yearn to comprehend but as of yet lack a true understanding.