WHAT MAKES CF A GENETIC DISEASE?
Genes are the basic units of heredity. They are located on structures within the cell nucleus called chromosomes. The function of most genes is to instruct the cells to make particular proteins, most of which have important life-sustaining roles. Every human being has 46 chromosomes, 23 inherited from each parent. Because each of the 23 pairs of chromosomes contains a complete set of genes, every individual has two sets (one from each parent) of genes for each function. In some individuals, the basic building blocks of a gene (called base pairs) are altered (mutated). A mutation can cause the body to make a defective protein or no protein at all. The result is a loss of some essential biological function and that leads to disease. Children may inherit altered genes from one or both parents. Diseases such as CF that are caused by inherited genes are called genetic diseases. In CF, each parent carries one abnormal CF gene and one normal CF gene but shows no evidence of the disease becaus
