Turning Back Time Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Turning Back Time Progeria, an extremely rare disease caused by a slight genetic defect, victimizes every 1 in 4 million children. , (3). At the moment, there are twelve cases of Progeria in the US, and no more than one hundred have been reported around the world. While the child suffering from Progeria will appear to have no symptoms at birth, the tell tale signs of the fatal disease will begin to surface within a few months, (1). The common first symptom of a child who may be a Progerian is that the ends of their shoulder bones will be re-absorbed into their bodies. Soon, he or she will be underweight and undersize for his or her age. Hair loss and dental decay will follow. The disease slowly eliminates body fat. Eventually the Progerian will become afflicted by arthritis and take on the appearance of a person five to ten times their age, (6).On average, a Progerian will live to be thirteen. Usually their death will be due to a cardiovascular disease such as heart attack or stroke. Over the past four years, a lot of progress has been made studying Progeria. Researchers have concluded the cause of this disease is most likely due to a "single letter misspelling in the genetic code on a single chromosome, which is a coiled strand of DNA within the cell". After examining twenty Progerians, eighteen were found to have the same genetic abnormality. The 19th case had a similar 'misspelling' in a nearby gene. The 20th case did not have "classic Progeria", (2).The gene which was found to be abnormal in eighteen of the cases, is responsible for making the protein called 'lamin A'. If this protein is defective, premature cell death occurs. This protein structures the inner layer of membrane surrounding the nucleus. Each Progerian e... ...theory of evolution could be found on the cover of a Hallmark birthday card. References 1)Medlineplus, General information about health problems and diseases http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001657.htm 2)Progeria Research Foundation, One of the few websites dedicated to the study of Progeria http://www.progeriaresearch.org/links/links.htm 3)Progeria Project, Provides articles and information about Progeria http://www.progeriaproject.com/Archive/articles.htm 4) Link from Berkely University Website, Interesting facts about lifespan http://www.cgfi.org/materials/speeches/berkely_address.htm 5) USA Today, Article about Progeria http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/2003-04-16-agin-gene_x.htm 6) CNN Link from Homepage, Detail the health issues involved with Progeria http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/conditions/04/17/aging.gene/