Name Mary Caroline Ferguson Lab Section 41092 Exercise 5 Human Genetics Worksheet Huntington s Disease also known as Huntington s Chorea is an autosomal dominant neurological disorder The gene located on human chromosome 4 encodes for a protein called huntingtin The function of normal huntingtin is still unclear however in the mutant form of the gene a trinucleotide repeat CAG which is the codon for the amino acid glutamine is expanded and results in potentially dozens of glutamines where there should only be a single glutamine The longer the poly glutamine tract the earlier the onset of symptoms which initially include mood swings and depression Later the disorder progresses to include jerky and uncontrollable movement of the limbs trunk and face Continued deterioration of the central nervous system leads to death Consider the following case Imagine that one of your parents develops Huntington s Disease Because Huntington s is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder it affects males and females equally Any child of an affected individual has a 50 50 chance of developing the disorder so you and your siblings have equal chances of developing Huntington s Disease as you age There is a genetic test that can determine whether you carry the mutated allele that causes Huntington s Do you take the test 1 What are the pros and cons of having this kind of genetic information If having this disease the bad things mentally would be you know there would be no cure for it You also have a chance of putting your children at risk for having the same disease You would not be able to physically or mentally take care of yourself The good things about having this disease is that you can do things you wouldn t be able to do at such a young age If you know you have the disease and you are young you could get married earlier than you typically would Also you can spend most of your money and not really have to worry about saving it for later use if something happens because you already have one of the worst things happening 2 Should insurance companies be informed of genetic disease that runs in a family Why or why not No you do not have to inform your insurance company about your disease You will be going to the doctor a lot and having a lot of doctor s visits You will also be having a lot of hospital visits Therefore this will cost a lot of money on your premium and cause your insurance to go up you paying lots of money knowing your going to pass away 3 Draw a pedigree for your family describing either tongue rolling or widow s peak across three generations if possible This must be a trait that is not present in ALL individuals Indicate the phenotypes and possible genotypes for each person
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