Genome BOW 7: Fate

Diseases lies in fate. We only know that every genes malfunction can causes a particular disease. The saying that "x has hot the Wolf_Hirschhorn gene" is wrong. Everyone actually has the Wolf-Hirschhorn gene, but people who has Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome is the one that is actually missing the gene. This means the sickness is caused from the fact that the gene is missing. The sufferers have the mutation, not the gene. In this chapter it talk about if the huntingtin gene is damaged then why does it work all right for the next thirty years? It is because the mutant form of huntingtin often accumulate in big chunks (it is this accumulation of a sticky lump of protein within the cell that causes the death of the cell that causes death). Another disease Huntington deasease is at the far end of the chart of genetics. It is pure fatalism, straight by environmental varaiables. So all in all, good environment/living, good medicine, healthy food, loving families, and being rich can do nothing about diseases. Your fate in in your genes.