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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, November 21, 2008
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, November 21, 2008
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Our bodies are made up of millions of cells. Within almost every cell are 46 rod-like structures called chromosomes. Chromosomes are the packages of genetic information that make each person unique. There are 23 pairs of chromosomes. One chromosome of each pair comes from each of our parents. Along the chromosomes are thousands of genes, which are made up of DNA.
There are approximately 30,000 to 50,000 different genes and each has an important role in the body. Some genes determine how we will look, while others play an important role in how our bodies grow and develop. Genes also play an important role in disease. Inherited conditions such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia are caused by changes in our genes. Such gene changes are called mutations, and these mutations can be passed down from a parent to a child.
Over the past ten years, the location and the role of hundreds of genes have been determined. Through research, we now know that there are some genes that, when mutated, can give a person an increased risk for cancer. These genes are called cancer susceptibility genes or "cancer genes." Over 100 different cancer genes have been described, and some of these have been shown to cause an increased risk for different types of cancer including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, colon cancer, thyroid cancer and uterine cancer. There are three classes of cancer genes. These are: proto-oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and DNA repair genes. Below are some of the known cancer genes and the family syndromes they cause.
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Gene Name |
Type of Gene |
Syndrome |
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PTEN |
tumor suppressor gene |
Cowden syndrome |
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BRCA1 and BRCA2 |
DNA repair genes |
Hereditary Breast/Ovarian Cancer |
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MSH2, MLH1, MSH6, PMS1, PMS2 |
DNA repair genes |
Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colon Cancer syndrome (HNPCC) |
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RET |
Proto-oncogene |
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2a and 2b |
This article is a NetWellness exclusive. 
Last Reviewed: May 18, 2007
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Duane D. Culler, MS Clinical Instructor Department of Genetics School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University |
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Please note: only your personal physician or other health professional you consult can best advise you on matters of your health based on your medical history, your family medical history, your medication history, and how information from any of these databases may apply to you. Neither University of Cincinnati (NetWellness) nor any party involved in creating, producing or delivering this web site shall be liable for any damages arising out of access to or use of this web site, or any errors or omissions in the content thereof. (More) |