Chromosome+4

Chromosome 4 contains over 191 million base pairs. It also contains between 1,300 and 1,600 genes. This chromosome represents more than 6% of the total DNA in human cells. (Chromosome 4)



//Genome//:
The novel //Genome// written by Matt Ridley expresses the human genome explores the human genome. In the novel, it states that: "Open any catalogue of the human genome and you will be confronted not with a list of human potentialities, but a list of diseases mostly ones named after pairs of obscure central-European doctors. This gene causes Nieemann-Pick disease; that one causes Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. The impresssion given is that genes are there to cause diseases. 'New gene for mental illness', announces a website on genes that reports the latest new from the front, 'The gene for early-onset dystonia. Gene for kidney cancer isolated. Autism linked to serotonin transporter gene. A new Alzheimer's gene. The genetics of obsessive behaviour.'" (Ridley, 1999)

Interesting Genes:

 * 1) HTT (Huntingtin) - Huntingtin is named after Huntington's Disease which causes neurological deterioration. HTT is a repeat of the codon CAG. CAG should be repeated no more than thirty-five times. However, if it is repeated more than that then sometime in adulthood a person will begin to lose their balance, be incapable of taking care of themselves, and die before they should. Huntington's Disease also results in a slow descent into insanity. The mutation of the HTT gene which cause Huntigton's Disease is more common in men than women. (Ridley, 1999)
 * 2) ADH1B (alcohol dehydrogenase 1B(class I), beta polypeptide) - This gene is responsible for coding for a protein that is part of the alcohol dehydrogenase family. These are enzymes that break down alcohols like ethanol, hydroxysteroids, and products of lipid peroxidation. This protein however, is geared very much towards ethanol. This enzyme helps protect against alcoholism because certain forms of it rapidly consume ethanol and turn in into acetaldehyde. (The Genetics of Alcohol Metabolism) ( ADH1B alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (class I), beta polypeptide [ //Homo sapiens// ])

Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome
Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome is a disorder which results in characteristic facial features, delayed development, mental disability, and seizures. The facial characterisitcs include a flat nose and a high forehead resulting in a look similar to that of an ancient Greek helmet. There is also a shorter space between the nose and upper lip. The mouth is turned down adn the chin is smaller. The ears are poorly formed and have holes. The face is usually asymmetrical and and their heads are usually small. The developmental delays include problems eating and gaining weight, weak muscles, and delayed motor skills like sitting, walking, standing etc. Most people with this disorder are short. The mental disabilities associated with Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome are the opposite of most mental disabilities. Social skills are strong but language skills are weak. Most of the children with this disease tend to have seizures which are resistant to treatment but they disappear with age. Other results of this syndrome are dry skin, scoliosis, missing teeth, cleft palate and/or cleft lip. There are also abnormalities in the eyes, heart, genitourinary tract and brain. The occurance of this syndrome is 1/50,000 occuring twice as much in females as in males. Almost 9/10 of the cases were not inherited from parents. Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome is the result of the deletion of certain genetic material at the end of the short arm of Chromosome 4. (Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome)

Interesting Fact:
=References=
 * 1) Parkinson's disease is a result of a mutation on Chromosome 4.
 * 2) Alcoholism may be related to an enzyme produced by this chromosome.
 * 3) Different kinds of Lukemias have been connected to this chromosome.


 * 1) ADH1B alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (class I), beta polypeptide [Homo sapiens] - Gene - NCBI. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from []
 * 2) Chromosome 4 - Genetics Home Reference. (n.d.). Genetics Home Reference - Your guide to understanding genetic conditions. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from []
 * 3) Dataset of Genes on chromosome 4. (n.d.). Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine Laboratory, Vanderbilt. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from http://bioinfo.mc.vanderbilt.edu/SZGR/browseByChr.do?Chr=4
 * 4) Ridley, M. (1999). Genome: the autobiography of a species in 23 chapters. New York: HarperCollins.
 * 5) Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome - Genetics Home Reference. (n.d.). Genetics Home Reference - Your guide to understanding genetic conditions. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from []
 * 6) stream, t. a. (n.d.). NIAAA Publications. NIAAA Publications. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh301/5-13.htm