HUNTINGTON DISEASE
CAUSES |
|
|
Huntington's disease is caused by a
defect in the gene for a protein of unknown function called
huntingtin. The defective gene contains 40 or more so-called "CAG
repeats," compared to only 30 of these repeats in the normal
huntingtin gene. C, A, and G are DNA nucleotides, the building
blocks of genes. The extra building blocks in the huntingtin gene
cause the protein that is made from it to contain an extra section
as well. It is currently thought that this extra protein section
interacts with other proteins in brain cells where it occurs, and
that this interaction ultimately leads to cell death.
The Huntington's disease gene is a dominant gene, meaning that only one copy of it is
needed to develop the disease. Huntington's disease affects both males and females.
The gene may be inherited from either parent, who will also be
affected by the disease. A parent with the Huntington's disease gene has a 50% chance
of passing it on to each offspring. The chances of passing on the Huntington's disease
gene are not affected by the results of previous pregnancies. |
|
|
|
|
| HUNTINGTON DISEASE RELATED ITEMS |
|
|
|
|
