How can SNPs be used as risk factors in disease development?
SNPs do not cause disease, but they can help determine the likelihood that someone will develop a particular illness. One of the genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease, apolipoprotein E or ApoE, is a good example of how SNPs affect disease development. ApoE contains two SNPs that result in three possible alleles for this gene: E2, E3, and E4. Each allele differs by one DNA base, and the protein product of each gene differs by one amino acid. Each individual inherits one maternal copy of ApoE and one paternal copy of ApoE. Research has shown that a person who inherits at least one E4 allele will have a greater chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Apparently, the change of one amino acid in the E4 protein alters its structure and function enough to make disease development more likely. Inheriting the E2 allele, on the other hand, seems to indicate that a person is less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Of course, SNPs are not absolute indicators of disease development. Someone who h