Cystic Fibrosis: A Genetic Analysis

342 Words2 Pages
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that affects secretory glands throughout the body, gravely affecting the respiratory system and other systems. A body affected by CF produces unusually thick and sticky mucus that creates infection and accumulates in various pathways (Grossman and Grossman, 2005). This is caused by a defect in a membrane protein called the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator (CFTR), which is due to a mutation in the CFTR gene (Freedman and O’ Sullivan, 2009). The CFTR protein is an ATP-dependent ion channel that allows the movement of chloride ions across epithelial cells, helping to maintain fluid balance via osmosis (Miller et al., 2005). In a mucus-producing cell, the CFTR protein allows chloride ions to enter

More about Cystic Fibrosis: A Genetic Analysis