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Faulty Gene That Causes Huntington's Disease

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Huntington's disease is caused by a faulty gene. They are made up of DNA and packed onto strands called chromosomes. We have two copies of all our genes, so our chromosomes are in pairs. We have forty six chromosome’s which is twenty three pairs. The faulty gene that causes Huntington's disease is found on chromosome number four. The normal gene produces a protein called huntingtin but the faulty gene contains an abnormal area of what are called CAG repeats. This area is larger than normal and it produces a mutant form of the protein huntingtin. Cells in certain parts of the brain especially the basal ganglia and parts of the cortex are sensitive to the effects of the abnormal huntingtin therefore this makes them function poorly and eventually

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