What does cause fragile X syndrome?
Explaining how fragile X happens is not very easy simply because of the way it is inherited. To start, let’s talk broadly about genes and chromosomes. Genes are the instructions that tell our bodies how to work and are made up of DNA. We inherit two copies of all of our genes: one copy from our mother and one copy from our father. The DNA is packed into larger structures called chromosomes, and each chromosome contains hundreds to thousands of genes. Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46 chromosomes. The first 22 pairs are the same in males and females and are called the autosomes. The 23rd pair, called the sex chromosomes, are different in males and females. Females have two “X” chromosomes, and males have one “X” and one “Y” chromosome. Fragile X is caused by a change in the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome that causes it not to work properly. Everyone has 6-10 genes that don’t work the way they should, but this generally does not cause a problem.
Explaining how fragile X happens is not very easy simply because of the way it is inherited. To start, let’s talk broadly about genes and chromosomes. Genes are the instructions that tell our bodies how to work and are made up of DNA. We inherit two copies of all of our genes: one copy from our mother and one copy from our father. The DNA is packed into larger structures called chromosomes, and each chromosome contains hundreds to thousands of genes. Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46 chromosomes. The first 22 pairs are the same in males and females and are called the autosomes. The 23rd pair, called the sex chromosomes, are different in males and females. Females have two “X” chromosomes, and males have one “X” and one “Y” chromosome. Fragile X is caused by a change in the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome that causes it not to work properly. Everyone has 6-10 genes that don’t work the way they should, but this generally does not cause a problem. However, the chan
