DNA Perspectives and Applications - 2011

Final Report on SoB Yorkshire Branch Symposium

12 November 2011

DNA – some modern perspectives and applications

Sixty-one delegates attended this year’s symposium at the University of Bradford and were treated to a day of four excellent presentations on the topic of DNA, that remarkable molecule which underpins all of the life sciences. In view of the subject under consideration this year, it was decided to hold this year’s symposium as a joint event in conjunction with the Linnean Society of London and so help to spread the activities of this learned society, founded in 1788, beyond its more usual venues in London. The programme was aimed at Sixth Form biology students and above, and selected aspects of the importance of DNA in modern scientific endeavour were given in-depth consideration throughout the day. The Committee was particularly encouraged by the interest shown by large parties from two Yorkshire schools and would urge more from this sector to consider attending such an event in the future; an attempt is made each year to include something which is of relevance to the current A-level syllabuses.

Dr Steven Picksley from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Bradford opened the proceedings with a comprehensive overview of the historical development of our understanding of DNA as the genetic material, taking as his title the quotation of James Watson “We once thought our future was in the stars: we now know it’s in our DNA”. The structure of the molecule was explained, and moving on from the Central Dogma Dr Picksley clearly summarised many of the modern techniques which have been developed which help to us to understand how DNA operates in the cell, heredity and evolution. The importance of the Human Genome Project was explained and the widespread implications for both individuals and society clearly elaborated. It appears that we may be at the dawn of a new ‘genetic age’, for example, in the field of pharmacogenetics, where studies show how patients of differing genetic makeup metabolise particular drugs in different ways. Some of the consequences of commercial genetic testing (something, incidentally, which is not regulated in the UK, Europe or the USA except in cases of paternity testing or forensic DNA fingerprinting) were explained and the interesting point made that in the USA at least it is now illegal for discrimination to be made on the grounds of genetics.

The second speaker was Dr Angela Cox of the Institute of Cancer Studies at the University of Sheffield Medical School and here again many of the social implications of our modern appreciation of genetics in the diagnosis and treatment  of certain cancers was explored in detail. Our understanding is still very far from perfect and Dr Cox’s talk focused on the susceptibility of individuals to either breast or prostate cancer.  Whilst there is an increased risk of developing one or other of these common forms of the disease with increasing age, the role played by genetics, as shown especially by twin studies, is certainly significant, but seemingly more so with breast cancer. Epidemiological studies are expected to help explain how normal metabolic pathways are altered in tumours and how the immune response in the host is affected by these changes. Consideration was given to the means of assessing risk and some of the problems associated with present day screening strategies.

An exceptionally nutritious and palatable hot lunch was available for those delegates who had ordered it in advance although facilities were available for those who had opted to bring their own food. The afternoon session opened with an interesting paper by Dr Felix Forest, Head of Molecular Systematics at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. After explaining why biologists needed to classify the wide variety of living organisms and entertainingly reviewing previous attempts to do so, and which were largely based on morphological characteristics, Dr Forest then went on to consider the case of flowering plants and the notion of ‘primitive’ and ‘advanced’ features which have tended to dominate past attempts to classify the quarter of a million or so species in this category and to understand their evolutionary relationships as portrayed in phylogenetic trees. The impact of the technique of DNA sequencing, developed in the 1980s, on taxonomy was stressed and various examples (including some from the animal kingdom) given whereby our understanding of the phylogenetic relationships of many familiar species or groups of species has been fundamentally altered by the new technology. The work of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) was explained and the implications of our new knowledge on population genetics, conservation and species diversity well illustrated by many examples from around the world. It is to Dr Forest’s credit that he succeeded in making an area of plant biology, either unfamiliar or perhaps misunderstood by many in the past, seem so comprehensible to his audience and relevant to world ecology.

The final session consisted of a dual act given by Dr Ron Dixon and Gillian Fowler of the School of Natural and Applied Sciences at the University of Lincoln. The presentation provided an opportunity to learn something of how our knowledge of DNA technology is of vital use in the discipline of forensic archaeology. This was an ideal way to round off the day’s proceedings, for not only did it captivate the audience’s interest, but it was also entertaining and thought-provoking in its own right.  Gillian Fowler opened the session by showing the importance of being able to identify human remains not just from archaeological sites but from traumatic events such as natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis), major accidents involving mass casualties, terrorist attacks and genocide which have all called for painstaking and detailed examination of human tissue to allow correct identification of individuals to be made. Here, the use of DNA sequencing and profiling has been an integral part of the forensic process. Dr Dixon followed with some interesting examples of archaeological investigations in Britain and overseas involving possible cases of infanticide from the past and a consideration of some of the problems encountered in the interpretation of evidence obtained from the sites concerned.

The AGM of the Yorkshire Branch was held immediately following the symposium and the new Branch Committee appointed for the following year.

Nigel Mussett