Cystic
Fibrosis
cystic fibrosis is a disease of the lungs and pancreas.
Individuals afflicted with this disease have an over production of mucus,
which the body cannot deal with. The ducts that lead away from the
lungs and pancreas become clogged. The lungs fill up and in the past
people used to die from this disorder. Now a CF patient's disease can
be managed by drugs and therapies, but there is no cure. CF is
caused my a faulty carrier protein in the cells that comprise these two
organs. If the carrier protein does not function the individual cannot
function correctly either.
CF is a recessive disorder so an individual afflicted with this disease
must be heterozygous recessive. A person who is a carrier for the
disease is heterozygous and will not show any symptoms of this disease.
What is the probability of an offspring having CF if both parents are
heterozygous for the CF trait?Sickle Cell Anemia
Sickle cell anemia is a disease caused by the a protein being made
incorrectly. The protein in this case is hemoglobin, an iron
containing protein found in red blood cells and is responsible for carrying
oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. The red blood cells look like
a "C" or a sickle. A sickle is a hand held implement that was and
still is used to cut tall grass and weeds. It has a curved blade.
Sickle cell anemia keeps the blood from carrying as much oxygen as it could.
Individuals afflicted with this disease have little energy, they are
fatigued, suffer headaches, muscle cramps and sometimes kidney or
heart failure because the misshapen cells get lodged in the narrow passages
of the blood vessels. Sickle cell is a mutation in the gene that codes
for the protein hemoglobin. People of African descent are liable to be
carriers for the trait as 45% of Africa is heterozygous for this disease.
Hemophilia
hemophilia is a disease that keeps an individual from having proteins
to clot the blood. If a hemophiliac were to cut himself, it is very
possible for that person to bleed to death. This mutated gene is
carried on the X chromosome, of which males only have one. This gives
an explanation as to why males are seen with this disease with greater
frequency than females. Females have two X chromosomes and so carry
the dominant gene for natural blood clotting factors.
Down Syndrome
Color Blindness
Male Pattern Baldness