My Mutation Story

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disorder (SCID) is a disorder in which individuals are born without an effective immune system.

I am a mutated gene called SCIDX1, and I am located on the X chromosome, because I am mutated I disturb the development of “T cells” and “B cells”. T cells participate in immune response. B cells produce antibodies. Therefore, they’re really important for my host’s everyday life. I the gene, hold codes to make a protein that is used to build a receptor called IL2RG (interleukin-2 receptor). These receptors are located in the plasma membrane of immune cells. The receptors’ job is to allow two types of immune cells, T cells and B cells, to communicate. When I was mutated, the receptors couldn’t form and were absent from immune cells. As a result the immune cells can’t communicate with one another about bacteria and other malicious microorganisms. T cells and B cells will try to fight off the infection but there are too few of them to do so.

If my host was a female, which is rare occurrence, there would be a way smaller chance my host having SCID because females have two X chromosomes. The X chromosome is what a mutated gene like me is located on at the early stages of the host’s life, it was more likely for me to be inherited in to a male host because they can’t compensate for me like some females can, (females have two X chromosomes which plays a big part). P.S. Even if a female host doesn’t develop the disorder, they can still pass it on to their children.

My host is age 12, he lives in a physical plastic bubble, and it has a loud and annoying compressors attached to it, everything is sterilized before entering his bubble, clothes, food, etc. NASA even made him a “bubble suit” so he could explore the world with minimum risk of infection. But that was 12 years ago, tomorrow is a big day, tomorrow my host is going to receive a bone narrow transplant from his sister that will hopefully cure him of his disease.

[After the bone narrow transplant]

My host’s sister’s bone narrow contained traces of dormant virus, which resulted in my host’s death.

My host was David Vetter.

Part 2

1. SCID, “What causes SCID?”, “How do people with SCID live?”.
2. I used Open Office writer to write the story, and “Google” to research the desease.
3. I researched websites through “Google” and summarized what I learned.

   These are the links to the websites I used to learn about the disease.

   http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/disorders/singlegene/scid/

   http://io9.gizmodo.com/10-unusual-genetic-mutations-in-humans-470843733

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severe_combined_immunodeficiency

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Vetter

4. I read the same information on multiple websites to verify the information.
5. The process wasn’t easy, I didn’t know how I would implement a story about a gene mutation and the gene’s host, but I think it came together pretty well. I could have done a better job with the story, and maybe explaining things a little more in depth, but I don’t know how to write a story that had lots of facts in it.