Two or more alleles can shape each human trait. Each person receives two alleles, one from each parent. This combination is one factor among many that influences a variety of processes in the body. Gene A gene on chromosome 19 involved in making apoE, a substance that helps carry cholesterol in the bloodstream. Chromosomes Rod-like structures in every cell of the human body.
Chromosomes carry genes.
All healthy people have 46 chromosomes in 23 pairs. Usually, people receive one chromosome in each pair from each parent. Genes Basic units of heredity that direct almost every aspect of the construction, operation, and repair of living organisms. Each gene is a set of biochemical instructions that tells a cell how to assemble one of many different proteins. Each protein has its own highly specialized role to play in the body.