Huntington's Disease is caused by a dominant gene. The symptoms do not appear until middle age(...

Huntington's Disease is caused by a dominant gene. The symptoms do not appear until middle age( age 40-45). There is a gradual degeneration of the nervous system which leads initially to muscle tremors. Death usually occurs within 10-15 years after the appearance of the initial symptoms due to deterioration of the nervous system.

As the human genome is typed, more and more tests are available to determine if a person carries a gene like this one for which there is no treatment or cure.

Using the information above, respond to the questions below.

a. If your family(Mother or Father) had a history of a genetic disorder like this one, would you choose to get tested for it? Why or why not?

b. Would the results of the tests influence your decision to have children? Explain.

c. Besides yourself, whom would you want to have access to the test results? Explain.

d. Who should not have access? Why not?

Solutions

Expert Solution

a. ) yes, Since huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant disorder meaning if either of the parent is affected, then there is 50% chance that the offspring would be affected.

b.) Yes, If the test comes out positive, there would be 50% of the offsprings to be affected. And if the test comes out to be negative, there is absolutely no risk of the children being affected but only if the partner is also not diseased. So, deciding to have children or not becomes important.

c.) The spouse and the children (if any) should have access to the test results since it is a hereditary condition and it will affect their children and also the future generations to come.

d.) Any person who is not a part of his family should not be given access to the test results. There are two reasons for them to not know :

1. The test result is not relevant for them as they are in no way related to the family.

2. It can be taken as a social stigma by some people.

gladiator answered 1 year ago

Next > < Previous

Related Solutions

Huntington's Disease is caused by an autosomal dominant allele. Suppose a prospective father is diagnosed with...

Huntington's Disease is caused by an autosomal dominant allele. Suppose a prospective father is diagnosed with this disease. His own mother also had it, but not his father. The prospective mother has no family history of the disease. a. What are the genotypes of these two prospective parents? (Tell how many copies of the dominant Huntington's allele the man and the woman each has.) b. What is the probability that a child of theirs would inherit the disease? Explain.

ANSWER WITH A GENERAL IDEA/MECHANISM RATIONALE Huntingtin is a disease gene linked to Huntington's disease, a...

ANSWER WITH A GENERAL IDEA/MECHANISM RATIONALE Huntingtin is a disease gene linked to Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of striatal neurons. How would you design a peptide that could prohibit the loss of the neurons? Describe your rational for the design of the peptide. In detail: 1. What target sequences would you need to target the peptide to the correct location in the cell. Explain your choice. 2. What other sequences would you need for the peptide...

Suppose colourblindness is an X-linked recessive trait, while Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant trait. Assume...

Suppose colourblindness is an X-linked recessive trait, while Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant trait. Assume both traits are rare. A colourblind man decides to have children with a women who is heterozygous for both genes. What is the probability that they will have a child that is colourblind and does not have Huntington's?

Another disease caused by a mutation in a single gene is Huntington’s disease (HD), an autosomal...

Another disease caused by a mutation in a single gene is Huntington’s disease (HD), an autosomal dominant condition. It is caused by mutations in a gene required for normal nerve cell function. The mutations cause abnormal proteins to be produced which “stick” together and accumulate in nerve cells, eventually interfering with normal cell operations. Suggest two ways you could treat the disease by targeting the translation step for the HD protein and justify why each approach might be effective.

Retinitis pigmentosa, a form of blindness in humans, may be caused by a dominant autosomal gene,...

Retinitis pigmentosa, a form of blindness in humans, may be caused by a dominant autosomal gene, R, or a recessive autosomal gene, a. Thus only A_ rr individuals have normal sight. An afflicted man whose parents are both normal marries a woman of genotype AaRr. (A) What is the genotype of the afflicted man? (B) What proportion of the children are expected to suffer from this affliction if R and A map to different chromosomes?

Why do microsatellites, such as the one that causes Huntington's disease, occur in genomes? A. Microsatellites...

Why do microsatellites, such as the one that causes Huntington's disease, occur in genomes? A. Microsatellites are caused by insertion of DNA material by viruses B. Microsatellites are a result of very slow evolutionary processes C. None of these D. The body is better able to interpret microsatellite sequences into proteins, so they are more common in the genome E. DNA polymerase "stutters" on repeated bases during DNA replication and adds or deletes bases

Cystic fibrosis is genetic disease caused by mutations in the CFTR gene. The consequence of this...

Cystic fibrosis is genetic disease caused by mutations in the CFTR gene. The consequence of this is production of an abnormal transmembrane protein that is responsible for producing sweat, mucus, and digestive fluids. Explain in depth the correlation between the defective gene and the abnormal protein that is produced. Be sure to mention the process involved in protein production, whether or not those process(s) have occurred, and their end products. Provide details in your explanation and support your answer with...

COPD. Discuss at least three symptoms caused by physiologic changes and consequences of the disease and...

COPD. Discuss at least three symptoms caused by physiologic changes and consequences of the disease and how pharmaceutical treatments are designed to alleviate those symptoms.

The Huntington’s Disease (HD) gene (HTT) is located on chromosome 4, and the age of onset...

The Huntington’s Disease (HD) gene (HTT) is located on chromosome 4, and the age of onset of the condition is closely related to the repeat-expansion size within this gene. Recent research shows that a particular variant on chromosome 15 acts as a modifier for the condition. Someone with a repeat expansion in their HTT gene as well as this modifier variant will develop HD symptoms approximately six years earlier than someone without this modifier variant. A woman with Huntington’s disease...

The disease Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) caused by loss-of-function mutation of a gene called RPE65, has...

The disease Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) caused by loss-of-function mutation of a gene called RPE65, has been treated with gene therapy by injecting recombinant AAV vectors containing a normal copy of the RPE65 gene into their retinal epithelial cells. Patients receiving this therapy: May need to repeat the treatment as the viral DNA is degraded May acquire detrimental mutations due to integration of the virus Will pass the mutation to their offspring Now have the normal RPE65 gene Pharming refers...

Subjects