2006 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript
This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2006. 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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Are cysts hereditary?
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Donna Krasnewich, M.D., Ph.D.: Some cysts are hereditary. For example, there are autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney diseases, and the causative genes have been identified. Some of the affected patients also have cysts in their biliary ducts. There are also genes that cause cysts only in one region of the kidney, i.e., the medulla. However, cysts in the liver, for example, seem to occur in many of us and are seen on routine x-rays. These are probably incidental, and not related to any particular gene or genes. |
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