Evolution Quote by Siddhartha Mukherjee
““The real key to human gene mapping, Botstein had realized, was not finding the gene, but finding the humans. If a large-enough family bearing a genetic trait-any trait-could be found, and if that trait could be correlated with any of the variant markers spread across the genome, then gene mapping would become a trivial task. If all the members of a family affected by cystic fibrosis inevitably "co-inherited" some variant DNA marker, call it Variant-X, located on the tip of chromosome seven, then the cystic fibrosis gene had to sit in proximity to this location.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee, 2010
Mapping genes becomes easy when you study many related people, because shared DNA markers point to disease genes.
In simple terms: Study large families to locate disease genes.
Key Takeaway
Use family studies for gene discovery.
Themes
genetics
research
disease
Mood
analytical
hopeful
Type
scientific
educational
When to use this quote
- medical research
- genetic counseling
- clinical trials
- public health genetics
Key Concepts
linkage analysis
population genetics
heritage
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we include diverse populations in gene mapping?
- What are the limits of linkage analysis?
A Different Perspective
Family studies may miss rare mutations in isolated individuals.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
