Genes are tricky things, mostly because you don't choose them, and what you receive is the luck of the draw. But, besides eye and hair color there are other things hidden within them sometimes, things that have the possibility of killing you, or just making life slightly more difficult at first. And I have a few.
The first thing I learned about was diabetes. My dad would always tell me that his side of the family was affected by it and if I didn't stop sneaking raw sugar it would make my chances greater. To be clear, I was young so I didn't really think much of it, not until I got older. But this is not what makes me worry the most.
Cancer is also on both sides of my family, slightly increasing the chances that I may develop it myself. This is why a nurse examines my breasts every doctor's visit. But I may carry something else that can be even more troubling, mostly because you can only be tested for it later in life.
What I am referring to is a gene called SDHD. Now, this gene makes up one of the four subunits of the succinate dehydrogenase enzyme, aka SDH. This enzyme plays a role in energy conversion. It combines oxygen with fuel molecules: amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates, and adds oxygen to nutrients to release energy. This stabilizes important cells and sends out electrons, but SDHD plays a vital role here. The gene acts as a tumor suppressor or stops tumors from forming.
But, if it is hereditary, like my mother's, who got it from my grandmother, it can lead to syndromes such as paraganglioma-pheochromocytoma, aka PGL or PCC. This can turn deadly because it is tumors that arise from neuroendocrine tissues along the paravertebral axis, which is beside our vertebrae or vertebral column and can affect the base of the skull to the pelvis.
The reason this occurs is because the SDHD gene can be mutated, or altered, if passed down, the larger likely hood of it happening coming from the male relative if they pass it. The mutations contain little to no SDH or have shortened proteins, which lead to conditions that can spawn tumors if it is passed down by a family member.
More information on this can be found at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and ghr.nlm.nih.gov. But I may carry this, I just will not know until I am twenty-five. And because it would be from my mother, the odds of it actually affecting me are lower.
So, yeah, genetics can be worrisome, and if a relative had something it doesn't mean it will happen to you. That's the lottery of genetics. Try to enjoy life as much as you can, but do be aware of your health. It matters.
