Have you ever been told you have your dad’s eyes or your mom’s smile? It is true! You get your genetic make up from both of your parents, called genes. Genes contain the instructions that make up cells. They are composed of DNA, and carry chromosomes.
Gene therapy is the process of correcting defective genes that cause diseases. This type of therapy is still in the early stages. No gene therapy products have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for legal sale. Gene therapy trials continue, but the success rate has not been very high, which is most of the reason why the FDA will not yet approve it.
Gene mapping is the process of identifying the positions of a genes on a chromosome, and the distance between them. Also called the Human Genome Project, this process is used to identify the unique blueprint of an individuals genes. This will allow us to understand how genetic factors contribute to the spread of human diseases. It will also allow further exploration into the genetic mutations that lead to diabetes, cancer, asthma, and mental illness.
Gene mutation involves the changing of the DNA or RNA to alter the results of the genetic material. Such mutations often result from copying errors in the genetic material during cell division. Exposure to radiation can also create such errors. That being said, it is very important that you notify your doctor if you are pregnant or may be pregnant prior to having x-rays. Exposure to viruses can also result in gene mutation.
What is a gene pool? People talk about it all the time, some seriously and others as part of a joke. It is the set of unique alleles a particular species or population has to offer. If you take all the possible matches of genes in a particular species, you would have an unbelievable number of matches. All of these matches are the gene pool. In other words, the complete listing of genes that a person could possibility obtain his from.