In a previous entry for this blog, I wrote that my highest risk factor in my 23andMe genotype is the rs10993994 SNP, which produces a 1.3 increase in odds for me to develop prostate cancer. Navigating my genome using myKaryoView I was able to learn that this gene is located 56 base pairs before the start of the MSMB gene. As it happens, this gene is a tumor suppressor that has been involved in prostate cancer. The rs10993994 SNP is located in the promoter region and the TT genotype, the one I contain, seems to down-regulate this tumor’s suppressor gene, increasing the chances of developing prostate cancer.
Up to that point I was not able to learn anything else from my genome. Making use of last Christmas’ offer in 23andMe, that offered genome analyses from $99 and the keen collaboration of my family, I was able to buy 23andMe analysis kits for my Mum, Dad, Sister and Aunt. It was only last week when I finally got the results back. I have now uploaded all of these genomes in the DAS protocol and hence can query them using myKaryoView.
The first thing I did was to establish how I inherited my TT genotype for rs10993994 SNP. I learnt that my mum and dad both have CT for the genotype of this SNP. So in fact I was unlucky enough to inherit one T from each parent. My sister was luckier, well she does not have a prostate, but at least the genotype she inherited, CT, is not the one that has been related to the greater health risk.