Answer to Question #344339 in Genetics for Dds

Question

What is “loss of heterozygosity,” and how is this phenomenon related to the progression of some types of cancer?

Answer 1

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) refers to a mspecific type of genetic mutation during which there is a loss of one normal copy of a gene or a group of genes. The main contribution of that loss for tumorogenesis is that it deletes a functional copy of Tumor Suppressor Genes , which are responsible for tumor control and preventing its formation.