Zion Hubbard

LCT Variations and Crohn's Disease

The project was about how LCT variations influence the development of Chron’s disease.

Lactose Intolerance Influeces the Development of Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth

Lactase is an enzyme found within the small intestine that breaks down lactose sugars when digested. Lactose is a sugar found in dairy products and is heavily nutrient-dense with a wide range of essential micronutrients. However, the Lactase enzyme can mutate due to altered DNA sequences, causing the enzyme to malfunction. This malfunction causes the lactose sugars not to break down when entering the digestive system.

The Role of MCM6 Gene Mutations In The Inheritance and Onset of Lactose Intolerance Variations

Congenital lactase deficiency is the inability of newborns to digest their mother’s breast milk, leading to an early development of lactose malabsorption. The MCM6 gene contains a regulatory element that regulates the LCT gene, which produces lactase in the small intestine. Mutations in the MCM6 gene cause changes in the LCT gene.

The Dairy Dilemma: How Genetics Determines Lactose Intolerance Variants in the World

The malfunction of the LCT gene complex is caused by polymorphism mutations, single-nucleotide variants. Each region shares different levels of phenotypic deviations of lactose intolerance due to differing evolutionary niches arising from LCT gene polymorphism mutations. The genetic polymorphism variants of the LCT gene complex were observed through international and interstate data. Research articles were used to gather data from international regions to determine the SNP genetic variants of the LCT gene. Northern European and Middle Eastern countries have a higher prevalence of lactose non-persistence, specifically having the -13910 C/T and -22018 G/A polymorphism variants. Interstate data was gathered using the NIH’s All of Us database. The participants were organized into cohorts based on their phenotypic traits, demographics, and SNP variants, mainly focusing on the -13910 C/T and -22018 G/A SNPs. The cohorts were analyzed to determine the prevalence of lactose intolerance in each ethnicity within the United States. The European race has a higher prevalence of lactose non-persistence alleles in north-eastern states. Understanding how genetic variation in the United States contrasts with other countries can provide us with an understanding of the evolutionary niches that adapted the LCT gene between different populations.