JARGON BUSTER

MEDICAL terms decoded. This week: Gene expression

GENE expression is the process in which certain genes inside our cells are turned on and off.

Every cell in a human body will have all their genes in it (in the form of our DNA, our genetic blueprint), but only a small fraction of these genes are ever turned on or ‘expressed’.

It’s this process that will determine each cell’s function. This is how one cell might end up being important to your heart, while another cell makes bone.

When genes are activated, this in turn causes proteins to be made.

Proteins could be anything from enzymes to brain chemicals, which control everything from hair colour to immunity. Research has shown that environmental factors such as medication, temperature and light can also have an influence on which genes are turned on and off.