Main Campus: Chesterfield, MO 63017 | 
Genes
A gene is a short piece of DNA. Genes tell the body how to build specific proteins . There are about 20,000 genes in each cell of the human body. Together, they make up the blueprint for the human body and how it works.
Proteins
Proteins are the building blocks of life. Every cell in the human body contains protein. The basic structure of protein is a chain of amino acids. ...
A person's genetic makeup is called a genotype.
Information
Genes are made of DNA. Strands of DNA make up part of your chromosomes . Chromosomes have matching pairs of 1 copy of a specific gene. The gene occurs in the same position on each chromosome.
Chromosomes
Chromosomes are structures found in the center (nucleus) of cells that carry long pieces of DNA. DNA is the material that holds genes. It is the bu...
Genetic traits, such as eye color, are dominant or recessive:
- Dominant traits are controlled by 1 gene in the pair of chromosomes.
- Recessive traits need both genes in the gene pair to work together.
Many personal characteristics, such as height, are determined by more than 1 gene. However, some diseases, such as sickle cell anemia , can be caused by a change in a single gene.
Sickle cell anemia
Sickle cell anemia is a disease passed down through families. The red blood cells that are normally shaped like a disc take on a sickle or crescent ...
References
Stedman's Online Medical Dictionary. www.stedmansonline.com/content.aspx?id=mlrG0500001046&termtype=t . Accessed April 24, 2015.
Review Date: 4/20/2015
Reviewed By: Chad Haldeman-Englert, MD, FACMG, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Section on Medical Genetics, Winston-Salem, NC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
