GENETICS 101
Genetics are an overwhelming and difficult topic to understand. This is an attempt to breakdown genetics to understand the impact of the HIST1H1E gene on the function of the human body.
What Is a Gene?
Genes are the instructions for life as we know it. They affect your development before you're even born and play a role in everything from your appearance to your personality. Genes contain information about your heritage and your risk for certain diseases. Understanding your genes is part of understanding yourself, and you can use information about genetics to make decisions in your daily life.
Chromosomes
Each person has 46 chromosomes that come in pairs – 23 are from your mother and 23 from your father. Chromosomes 1 through 22 are the same between men and women. The 23rd pair are the “sex chromosomes” which determine whether a person will be a male or female. Females have two X chromosomes and males have one X and one Y chromosome.
Each chromosome has a short arm (P) and a long arm (Q):