2010 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2010. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

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What are the genes in the DNA sequence that if mutated, cause the most damage.
     Patricia Devers, M.S.: I am a genetic counselor specializing in reproductive genetics. I see patients in the preconceptional and prenatal period. That is a tough question to answer. Each of our genes has an important function in the body, so if a gene is not working properly it may cause problems. Which of these causes the most damage is probably subjective - some people might think a gene change that causes mental retardation would be more damaging that a gene change that causes muscular dystrophy - other people might think the opposite. Some gene changes would be so damaging that they would not allow a person to develop, so you might think that was the most damaging.
Westview High School in CA (11th grade student)

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