Gene Therapy And Its Effects On The Human Body

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disease that affects the lungs and digestive system (National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute, 2013). CF is caused by mutations of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene located on chromosome 7q31 (Beery & Workman, 2012, p. 192). More than 1600 different mutations in this gene have been identified, but 70% of cystic fibrosis patients have the amino acid ΔF508 defect. This mutation occurs when the CFTR protein is missing three nucleotides at position 508 which codes for the amino acid phenylalanine essential to nutrition (Scott, 2013, p. 493).

Cystic fibrosis occurs as a mutation on Chromosome 7. These mutations causes little to no CFTR (Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) and promotes the removal of 3 bases in DNA resulting in Amino acids to be unaccounted for.

In cystic fibrosis, the most common mutation is a three-base deletion that results in the loss of a phenylalanine residue from the CFTR protein. Because the mutant allele is three bases shorter than the normal allele, it is possible to distinguish them from each other by the size of the PCR products obtained by amplifying that portion of the

Cystic fibrosis is caused by defects in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductor regulator (CFTR) gene, which codes for the CFTR protein (Sartin, 2013). The CFTR protein is a chloride channel present in secretory glands and the epithelial cells of numerous organs. Due to the high affinity of chloride, sodium and water, CFTR protein plays a vital role in the homeostatic

Cystic Fibrosis is caused by a genetic defect in Chromosome 7. Chromosome 7 encodes the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, also known as CFTR. There are over 1,000 mutations of this gene causing cystic fibrosis, with each mutation manifesting as a different variation of disease onset and clinical presentation. The most common mutation is the loss of phenylalanine residue at deltaF508. The abnormal functioning CFTR causes impaired chloride transport and more viscous secretions. The defect causes dehydrated secretions in the respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract. Being dehydrated, these secretions become more difficult to move throughout the body. Along with impaired mucociliary clearance, this leads to chronic infection and inflammation, which in turn leads to more impaired mucociliary clearance. It unfortunately becomes an endless

Mutation of the Cystic Fibrosis gene affects the protein responsible for movement of chloride ions through the cell membranes (3). This protein is called CFTR, cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (3). CFTR is located on chromosome 7 and is 250 kilobases long. CFTR has about 1900 mutations that are split up into six classes (6). Common classes are class I that are stop mutations and class II (6). Class II are mutated CFTR that are recognized as abnormal by the cell’s “control system”; the most common mutation for Cystic Fibrosis belongs to this class (6). CFTR is present in cells at the passageways of lungs, pancreas, colon and genitourinary tract (3). More specifically, the mutation that causes Cystic Fibrosis has a deletion of three base pairs in the gene (3). There are 400 plus mutations responsible for causing Cystic Fibrosis as of 1995 (3).

Cystic Fibrosis is the result of a genetic mutation in the CFTR gene on chromosome 7. This disease is more common to the Northern European population, with over 1500 different mutations that can occur on this gene. The most common is a deletion of phenylalanine at position 508 (ΔF508) [2] - this occurs in 66% of cystic fibrosis patients [1]. The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein is an ATP gated chlorine ion channel found in epithelial cells at the apical surfaces. It belongs to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) membrane transporter superfamily[4] and contains two membrane spanning domains, consisting of six transmembrane α-helices, and two nuclear binding domains (NBD) whose activity are regulated by the R (regulatory) domain (fig.1).

people with Cystic Fibrosis. Most of these mutations change single protein amino acids in the CFTR

The ∆F508 defect is characterized by the absence of 3 base pairs at the 508th position on the CFTR gene, resulting in non-production of phenylalanine which is an important amino acid for nutrition.3 In other types of mutations, the CFTR protein can be only partially synthesized, not synthesized at all, or present but activated or processed abnormally due to abnormal chloride levels in the body.1 An ∆F508 mutation type appears to be most prevalent in Caucasians with cystic fibrosis and interestingly enough, other types of mutations appear to be more common in causing cystic fibrosis in other ethnicities.3

Reference List: • Revolutionizing Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~mcclean/plsc431/students/brandi.htm • Genetic Disorders: MedlinePlus. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://medlineplus.gov/geneticdisorders.html • Genes and Gene Therapy: MedlinePlus.

Cystic Fibrosis is caused by a genetic defect in Chromosome 7. Chromosome 7 encodes the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, also known as CFTR. There are over 1,000 mutations of this gene causing cystic fibrosis, with each mutation manifesting as a different variation of disease onset and clinical presentation. The most common mutation is the loss of phenylalanine residue at deltaF508. The abnormal functioning CFTR causes impaired chloride transport and more viscous secretions. The defect causes dehydrated secretions in the respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract. Being dehydrated, these secretions become more difficult to move throughout the body. Along with impaired

George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," applies equally to technology issues such as gene therapy today. Therefore, I would like to begin by remembering our past mistakes in evaluating Jesse Gelsinger who was 17 when a geneticist told him that his OTC deficiency disorder, ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency, which is an inherited disorder that allows ammonia to accumulate in the blood, could be cured with gene therapy. One day during his treatment he started vomiting uncontrollably and he ended up in the hospital on life support. The vector used to help his immunodeficiency order had deleterious side effects and caused him to have jaundice, multiple organ failures, to be brain dead, and

Image what it would be like if doctors could cure Huntington's disease, muscular dystrophy, or even hemophilia. Could this be possible? With gene therapy this all could be reality in the near future. Gene therapy is a potential approach to the treatment of genetic disorders in humans. This is a technique where the absent or faulty gene is replaced by a working gene, so the body can make the correct enzyme or protein and consequently eliminate the root cause of the disease (BIO, 1990).

revolutionizing medicine and treating disease. It is believed that Gene Therapy holds the key to

Technology and mankind’s knowledge of the human body has advanced so far that now alter the body’s composition. With this new found power it is possible to perform genetic therapy, improve an athlete 's natural performance, and possibly stop a genetic disease from reoccurring in a blood line. A gene is a strand of information made up of A, C, G, and T nucleotides, which in turn make up chromosomes, these chromosomes make up and design the rest of the proteins in our body.