Entry #10: Chromsome 19: Prevention

In this chapter, we discuss about a family of genes called the apolipoprotein genes, or APO genes. They come in four basic varieties, called A,B,C and E. There is various different versions of each oh different chromosomes. The one that we discuss about is APOE which lies on chromosome 19. To understand APOE's job requires a digression into the habits of cholesterol and triglyceride fats. The job of APOE's protein is to effect an introduction between VLDL and a receptor on a cell that needs some triglycerides, APOB's job is to do the same for the cholesterol drop-off. If these two are not working, the cholesterol and fat stay in the bloodstream and can build up on the walls of arteries as atherosclerosis. We did not just want to talk about heart disease, but we also can see how this genes comes to play in the Alzheimer's disease. It is said that if you carry two E4 genes your chances of eventually getting Alzheimer's disease are much greater than those of the population at large.