Disorders caused by mutations

An inherited mutation is a genetic change present in gametes and passed on from parent to offspring
An aquired mutation occurs in somatic cells, not gametes, and so cannot be trasmitted to offspring. Aquired mutations are passed on to all cells descended from the mutant cell, giving rise to a colony of cells marked by the mutation
Most mutations are harmful and, if expressed, cause disorders. However, the chance of a person having a disorder caused by a mutation depends on an interplay between genes and the enviroment
Most non-inherited disorders that develop after birth have many causes. epidemiological research has shown that some disorders tend to occur more frequently amoung members of the same family. In the case of certain cancers, individuals become predisposed to the disorder becuase they have inherited a mutant allele for a tumour suppressor gene. However, the cancer only manijests itself if acquired mutations are added to the inherited mutation
With the ability to identify harmful mutations comes the potential to treat disorders by gene therapy

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	Created by harry_bygraves almost 11 years ago