Gene Variant Might Guard Against Alzheimer’s

➢ A type of a gene known as the CETP gene is now thought to lessen one’s odds of getting Alzheimer’s.


➢ In a study of 523 people, 105 people carried 2 copies of the CETP gene while 235 carried one copy of the CETP gene. The remainder did not carry copies of the CETP gene.


➢ Over the span of four years, out of the 523 people (who were about 78, years old), the people with two copies of the CETP gene only had a 1/3 chance of getting Alzheimer’s.


➢ Also, people who had the CETP seemed to have lower HDL cholesterol levels, as well.



➢ While the majority of the population does not have this gene it seems to have positive effects when it comes to the prevention of Alzheimer’s.

Reflection:

I found this article interesting, because I have family members suffering from Alzheimer’s and I wanted to know more about it. In the article, it was stated that while 2 copies of this gene have a good effect, 1 or none seem to have no effect. This seems to be a case of complete dominance where the CETP gene is recessive. During class, we learned about dominance, how proteins function, and how that can affect an organism’s phenotype and genotype. This article was helpful for me because I could connect it to what we leaned in class.

Seppa, Nathan. "Gene Variant Might Guard Against Alzheimer's." U.S. News and World Report. 12 Jan. 2010. Web. 7 Feb. 2010.

http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2010/01/12/gene-variant-might-guard-against-alzheimers-other-dementia.html