Cystic Fibrosis: A Genetic Analysis

Cystic fibrosis is a severe, but rare genetic condition. It usually surfaces at a young age and affects lungs and the digestive system in which mucus builds up. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation reported roughly 70,000 cases worldwide. Patients with this condition are predisposed to infections by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This bacteria causes infections in the lungs as it favors conditions with large amounts of mucus, typical for cystic fibrosis patients. The bacteria adapts and grows in this unique lung surrounding, while the patient's immune system is already weakened (Oliver, 2000). P. aeruginosa makes acylhomoserine lactones which work in cell to cell signaling, leading to the activation of bacterial genes and thereby create biofilm (Prince, 2012). Observing and pinpointing mutations is helpful in the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. …show more content…
This gene is associated with the defense of the upper airway where it is activated by acylhomoserine lactones. The increased likelihood of developing respiratory infections can be due to genetic differences (Lee. 2012). In a study where PROP - similar to PTC - was used as a probe for these variances in sensing the bitter taste, bitterness varied significantly with different genotypes (Duffy, 2004). Additionally, when exploring the importance of PTC, it was reported that tasting PTC had a correlation to tasting other toxic substances (Woodling, 2004). For this reason it is important to understand the influence of different genotypes for the expression of the taster