Genome & Personality-2nd

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HUMAN GENOME

&

PERSONALITY

V K Sharma / June 2007


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HUMAN GENOME & PERSONALITY

Genome is a BOOK

It has 23 chapters called CHROMOSOMES

Each chapter contains several thousand stories,called GENES

Each story is made up of paras EXONS

Each para is made up of words CODONS

Each word is written in letters, called

BASES


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Human Genome & personalitycontd p-2

One billion words in the book

If u read @ one word / sec, take 32 years This gigantic document fits inside the

microscopic nucleus of a tiny cell, that fits

easily upon the head of a pin. Idea of Genome as a book is not a metaphor,

but literally true. Only difference, some parts

of genome read L to R & some R TO L,though never both at same time.

Genomes are written entirely in three letter

words, using four letters.


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A ADANINE

C CYTOSINE

G GUANINE

T THYMINE

Instead of being written on flat pages, theseare written on long chains of sugar &

phosphate molecules, called DNA molecules.


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To each Chain are attached 3 bln pairs of

bases, as side rungs. Each Chromosome is one pair of very

long DNA molecules, the famous double-

helio of original strand & itscomplementary pair intertwined.

Genome is a very clever book, it canboth photocopy itself [REPLICATION]

and read itself [TRANSLATION].


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To make a copy of the complementary

strand , brings back the original text.Sequence of ACG becomes GCA in the

copy, which transcribes back to ACG in

the copy of the copy. This enables DNA

to replicate indefinitely, retaining sameinformation.

THUS THE Genetic information coded

by an organisms DNA, spread over 23chapters, chromosomes, is called its

GENOME [ THE Book]


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A great beauty of embryo development, is

the bit that human beings find so hard to

grasp. It is a totally decentralized process.

Every cell in the human body carries a

complete copy of the Genome. No cell needto wait for instructions from higher authority.

We do not organize society / organizations

that way. We are obsessed with dragging asmany decisions as possible to central

authority.

Should we learn something from Nature?


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A NEURON is a major class of cells in the

nervous system. Their main role is to

process & transmit information via

synapses. There are about 100 trillion

synapses in the human brain.

Neurons use CHEMICALS likeDOPAMINE & SEROTONIN as Neuro

Transmitters.

There are around 50 such chemicals. By using50 different chemical signals, brain can carry on

many different conversations at the same

time.Each neuro-transmitter stimulates diffrent cells oralters their sensitivity to dfrnt chemical mesngrs.


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On Chromosome 11, there is a gene D4DR.

It is a recipe for a protein, that serves as aDopamine

receptor.

Its job is to stick out of the membrane of a neuron at

the junction of another neuron [junction called

Synapse] ,ready to latch on to chemical Dopamine.

Dopamine is released from the tips of other neuronsby an electric signal.

When dopamine-receptor encounters dopamine, it

causes its own neuron to discharge an electric

signal.

That is the way brain works : Electric signals thatcause chemical signals that cause electric signals.


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It is misleading to think of brain as a

computer for many reasons, but one -

the most obvious- is that an electric

switch in a computer is just an electric

switch.

A SYNAPSE in a brain is an electricswitch embedded in a chemical

reactor of great sensitivity.

Presence of D4DR gene in a neuron,identifies that neuron as a member

one of brains DOPAMINE MEDIATED

PATHWAYS.


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To simplify grossly, DOPAMINE is

PERHAPS the MOTIVATIONCHEMICAL for the organism.

Too little, the person lacks initiative.

Too much and the person easily gets bored &

frequently seeks new adventures.


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Let us now see the impact of another

chemical in the brain, SEROTONIN

When in SHORTAGE, makes a person

IMPULSIVE (Changeable, erratic,

whimsical)

When in MODERATION, RELIEVESANXIETY / DEPRESSION

When in EXCESS, makes a person

COMPULSIVE, obsessed with something like tidiness / caution, to the point

of being NEUROTIC.

Human Genome & personality contd p 13


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Another point of view

The mind of the child lives between the cells..the

Synapses..By the time child reaches early teens,

her brain has carved out unique network of

connections. She has some beautiful, frictionless,

traffic free 4-lane highways (pathways) where

connections are smooth & strong. And she has barren wastelands, where no signal

at all makes it across.

If she has 4-lane highway forCONFRONTATION, she

will be that lucky person whose brain hands her one

word after another in the heat of debate. If she has a

wasteland for confrontation, her brain shuts her mouth

at most critical moments.


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NATURE vs NURTURE debate

to believe in innate human nature is to fall in the

trap of DETERMINISM & to condemn people to aheartless fate written in their genes, before they

were born.

We simply do not have enough genes for this

biological determinism to be right Craig Venter

Genome has changed every thing, not by closing

the argument, or winning the battle for one side or

the other, but by enriching.., till they meet in themiddle.


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Before coming to meeting in the middle, let

us examine history of various kinds of

Determinism. Fall ofparental (Freudian) determinism.

Fall ofMargaret MeadsCultural determinism.

Fall ofstimulus-response determinism ofWatson & Skinner.

Fall ofLinguistic determinism.

Venters Observation Sir J Sulston, one of Genome project leaders, ..just 33

genes, each coming in 2 varieties, on & off,would be

enough to make every human being in the world unique



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MEETING in the MIDDLE argument

It is genes that allow human mind to learn, to

remember, to initiate, to absorb culture.

Genes are not puppet masters, nor are they just

carriers of heredity, they are active during life.

You eat cookies on winter evenings to cheer

yourself up by raising your brain serotonin levels.

The take home message is that u can change your

serotonin levels by altering your eating habits.



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A trio of therapists learning about new

developments from genetics, , switched

from trying to treat their clients shynessto trying to make them content with

innate pre-disposition.

Clients felt relieved that their personalitywas real & not a bad habit they had got

into.

To their surprise, found that telling thatthey are naturally shy, helped them

overcome shyness.


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1909, in Danube, two 6 yr old boys were given

2 newly hatched ducklings, they followed

children every where, mistaking them for

parents.

Later research showed that bet 15 hrs & 3 days

of birth, ducklings fixate on 1st moving thing as

mother.

1989, David Barker, medical scientist, analyzed

5000 men born bet 1911 & 1930 in South

England & found that those who weighed belowa level upto 1 yr, had highest death rate from

heart disease.Confirmed same finding from a sampleof 4600 men, Helsinki Uni Hospital, born bet 1934 & 1944.



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No longer is it Nature VS Nurture. Genes are

designed to take their cue from nurture. The

more we lift the lid on the genome, the morevulnerable to experience genes appear to be.

Your brain chemistry is determined by the

social signals to which u get exposed. Higheryour self-esteem & social rank relative to

those around u, higher your serotonin level

is. There are genes that vary the rate of

serotonin manufacture, vary the

responsiveness of serotonin receptors.

H G & lit td 20


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HITLERS LOVE CAMPS

T Bouchard of uni Minnesota, 1979,collected

separated twins from all over world,tested for IQ

Combined with results of other studies.

Same person tested twice 0.87 cor

Identical twins reared together 0.86 apart 0.76

Biological siblings 0.47

Parents & children living together 0.40 apart 0.31

Adopted children living together/apart 0 / 0



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Heritability estimates apply between

individuals & not between groups. Evidence from cross racial adoption suggests

that avg IQ of blacks reared by & among

whites is no different from that of whites. High heritability of short sightedness is

accounted for not by just the heritabiity of eye

shape, but also by the heritability of literatehabits. The heritability of intelligence may be

about the genetics of nurture.

Human Genome & personality contd p-22


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Human Genome & personalitycontd p 22

IN SUMMATION

The subject is still under exploration. Much

more light needs to be shed. We need todiscover more and learn more.

There exists genuine fear among many that

genetic reasons will again be used to makelives of the under privileged even more

disadvantaged.

That fear, as we saw, is not so well grounded& shouldnt blind us to some knowledge

already available, suggesting greater pay

off by working together.

SPECIFICALLY IN HRD CONTEXT


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SPECIFICALLY IN HRD CONTEXT

Approaches ofTraining /Feedback / Coaching /

/ Mentoring / Job Rotationwill bring about

some improvement among some people.

However, it would not be adequate, most

probably, to make him / her a world class

performer in that role, if gap is largish.

He / She may become world class in another

role, thus indicating need forthrust on

redeployment.

We may need to add, may be some unusual

items, to out repertoire of HRD

interventions.could be food habits.

Human Genome & personality contd p-24


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Tremendous pay-off likely by discovering, by honing stillbetter tools of selection, so as to spot more successfullythose with high personality and role match,for all

strategic positions. THANK YOU

Bibliography :

Genome: The autobiography of a species..Matt Ridley, 1999

Nature via Nurture do , 2003 Are genes us? C F Cranor, 1994

Wikipedia Very different animals have very similar sets of genes. By following the trail of evolution, devices

are being found within DNA Genetic Switches that do not encode any proteins but that regulate

when and where genes are used.When we compare mammalian genomes such as those of themouse, rat, dog, human & chimpanzees, we see that their respective gene catalogues are remarkablysimilar. Approx no of genes in each animals genome is about 20,000. The expression of a geneentails the transcription of the DNA sequence into a messenger RNA [mRNA] VERSION &thetranslation of that mRNA into a protein sequenceCertain non-coding DNA sequences play acritical role in directing when & where that happens. They are components of ,Genetic Switchesthat turn genes on or off at the right time & place in the body. Scientific AmericanMay2008.

Ab t 5% hild d 18 h f


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About 5% children, under 18, have a group of

symptoms that are called Attention deficit

hyperactivity disorder ADHD]. About 60% carry the

symptoms into adulthood. Many studies have shownthat ADHD is genetic and not, as was once presumed,

the result of poor parenting. Neuro-transmitter

chemical involved is DOPAMINE , which controls

feelings of REWARD or PLEASURE. [contradicts MattRidley, who associates this with Serotonin]

The suggestion is that people with ADHD are

receiving +ve feedback for inappropriate behaviour.

The main symptom of ADHD is impulsiveness [when

dopamine shortage]. Sufferers have trouble in

concentrating on any task unless they receive

constant +ve feedback/reward..

They are prone to addictive & compulsive behaviour when


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They are prone to addictive & compulsive behaviour whendopamine in excess].

One hypothesis is that behaviour associated with ADHD helpspeople such as hunter gatherers, pastoral nomads, but tend toperform poorly in modern society. Economist June

14, 2008 Such drugs are called cognition enhancers. They work on the

neural processes that underlie such mental activities as attention,perception , learning, memory, language, planning, decisionmaking, usually by altering the balance of chemical neurotransmitters.

Ritalin [mehtylphenidate] & Provogil [modafinil], even thoughnotlicensed for wider use are being used by some people to pepthemselves upProvogil , for example, adds the ability to rememberextra digit[ most ppeople can hold seven random digits in theirmemory, but have difficulty with 8. It also improves peoples

performance in tests of their ability to plan.

ONE SUCH NEURO TRANSMITTER IS


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ONE SUCH NEURO TRANSMITTER IS

GLUTOMATE. This throws switches to the ON

position in the memory circuit. Members of a newly

discovered class of compounds, ampakines, boost theactivity of glutomate and thus make it easier to form

memories. Economist May 24, 2008

As soon as the mothers identified their own babies,

the areas of brain associated with the reward went onalert & the brain chemical Dopamine, important for

learning, motivating, sleeping & controlling movement.

Strength of reaction varies with the babies expression,

a smiling face triggering the biggest reaction.

Hindustan Times P 20 July 08, 2008

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