Every person has 23 pairs of chromosomes. One chromosome of each pair is inherited from one s mother and the other chromosome is inherited from one s father. Sections of the DNA strands which make proteins are called genes. It is our genes that determine how certain traits will be expressed and tell our body s cells how to function. When there is an error within a portion of a gene s DNA, it is called a mutation and the gene does not function the way it should.
Chromosomes have many different functions.
The part of the chromosome that makes up the genes are only a small portion of the total DNA in the chromosomes. These gene sections are called exons. The intron regions, previously thought to be junk DNA, are now believed to hold information like how an individual reacts to certain drugs. The function of the IKAP protein is not well understood at present. There are two known mutations.