Question

The functions of genes and their relations with hereditary and Alzheimer’s disease?

Answer 1

A gene is the basic physical and functional unit of heredity. Genes provide instructions for making proteins, and proteins determine the structure and function of each cell in the body. Genes are responsible for all the characteristics we inherit.

If the mother has Alzheimer's then there are more likely to develop the disease than if the father has Alzheimer's. The tendency for the disease appears to be passed down through the mother's genes. This disease is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern that means one copy of the altered gene in each cell is able to cause the disorder. An affected person inherits the altered gene from one affected parent. People can have two copies of APOE-e4 and never develop Alzheimer’s disease. Conversely, people can have no copies of the gene and still they can develop the disease.