Dicussion Question 2

An example of a chromosomal dis is the trisomy of chromosome 21 or Down Syndrome . It is caused by a mutation which results in an extra copy of chromosome 21 . People affected with Down Syndrome exhibit some degree of mental retardation , common facial features (commonly referred to as mongoloid ' traits ) as well as heart problems and other health defects . According to the March of Dimes website , Down Syndrome is often the result of a failed cell division of one of the gametes . Each gamete should contribute 23 chromosomes to the embryo . However if

during meiosis one of the gametes fails to successfully divide the 46 chromosomes into two sets of 23 , the gamete may end up with an extra copy of chromosome 21 . When this happens , the embryo will have 3 copies of chromosome 21 , 1 copy from the normal gamete and 2 copies from the erring gamete

If I were the parent of a child with Down Syndrome , my first instinct would probably be to research ways of mitigating the effects of the disease . This is so that my child can live as close to an ordinary life as possible . Additional questions would be to find out what are the risk factors from the disease (like the aforementioned heart problems . These questions can probably be answered through research on the Internet or by reading books as well as by asking for professional medical help . For the first question however , a good support group may be of great assistance in raising a child with Down Syndrome

Personally , I have had no experience with Down Syndrome . Probably my only experience with Down Syndrome was a CSI episode where they referred to it as trisomy of the 21st ' - referring to the three copies of chromosome 21 . I remember this since I knew that they were referring to Down Syndrome as soon as they uttered the trisomy of the 21st ' line - a pretty nerdy moment for me...