Cystic fibrosis genetics

Cystic Fibrosis Genetic Analysis Consortium. Mutation frequencies. http //www. genet.sickkids.on.ca/cftr/newfreq/AU.html, 2002. 

Rohlfs EM, Shaheen NJ, Silverman LM. Is the hemochromatosis gene a modifier locus for cystic fibrosis Genet Test 1998 2 85. 

Demonstration ofthe nature ofthe genetic defects in cystic fibrosis. 

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a recessive genetic disorder prevalent among whites in North America and certain parts of northern Europe. It is characterized by chronic bacterial infections of the airways and sinuses, fat maldigestion due to pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, infertility in males due to abnormal development of the vas deferens, and elevated levels of chloride in sweat (> 60 mmol/L). 

RFLPs are often a reflection of individual genetic diversity and are not related to a clinical phenotype, but occasionally they can be diagnostic of an inherited disease. This technique is relatively new yet, it has been applied to the prenatal detection of sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, phenylketonuria, a,-antitrypsin deficiency, Huntington s chorea, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, hemophilia A and B, cystic fibrosis, and several other, diseases. 

Reverse genetics has been applied to diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis, in which the responsible enzymes are unknown and the disease results from a significant deletion. By combining RFLP analysis with cytogenetics, it has been possible to increasingly narrow the location of the defective genes to small regions on the affected chromosomes. 

Recombinant DNase preparations have been used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis since the end of 1993. This genetic disorder is common, particularly in ethnic groups of northern European extraction, where the frequency of occurrence can be as high as 1 in 2500 live births. A higher than average incidence has also been recorded in southern Europe, as well as in some Jewish and African-American populations. 

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