How Is Tay-Sachs Disease Inherited?
The cells in our body typically contain 46 chromosomes. Each chromosome is a package that holds hundreds of genes. These genes contain the blueprints for our growth and development; they are the instructions that make us who we are. All of our chromosomes (and the genes that are located on these chromosomes) come in pairs. We inherit one chromosome of each pair from our mother and the other chromosome of the pair from our father. click to enlarge When there is a change in a gene (called a mutation) the instructions it contains are no longer correct and the gene cannot carry out its function. Individuals with Tay-Sachs disease have two copies of a mutation, one copy inherited from each parent. Neither gene in the pair is working correctly, which causes the symptoms of the disease. People with Infantile Tay-Sachs disease have two mutations that cause infantile disease. Individuals with Late-Onset Tay-Sachs disease have two mutations that cause adult-onset disease, or one infantile mutati
