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Example Questions
Example Question #6 : Understanding Autosomal And Sex Linked Inheritance
Individuals with Klinefelter syndrome are phenotypically male, but experience reduced sperm production and breast development in adolescence. Klinefelter individuals have two X-chromosomes and one Y-chromosome (they are XXY instead of XY). What meiotic error gives rise to this condition?
Polyploidy
Aneuploidy
Duplication
Monosomy
Translocation
Aneuploidy
Aneuploidy is a chromosomal condition in which there are an abnormal number of chromosomes in the cells of the body. Aneuploidy typically refers to monosomy (one chromosome copy) or trisomy (three chromosome copies), and arises due to nondisjunction during meiosis and gametogenesis. Nondisjuction causes one daughter cell to receive three or four chromatids, and the other to receive one or zero. If this gamete is used to form a zygote, all cells in the resulting offspring will carry the abnormal chromosome number.
Translocation occurs when chromosomal fragments join non-homologous chromosomes. Polyploidy is a condition in which a cell has more than two complete chromosomal sets; in this example, only one set of chromosomes carries three copies. Duplication is the presence of additional segments within a single chromosome.
Example Question #2 : Understanding Autosomal And Sex Linked Inheritance
Red-green colorblindness is an X-linked recessive disorder. Which of the following scenarios is not a possible method by which this disorder can be inherited?
A colorblind mother and normal father have a daughter who is a carrier for the condition
A genotypically normal mother and a colorblind father have a son who is also colorblind
A carrier mother and a colorblind father have a daughter who is born colorblind
A carrier mother and a normal father have a son who is born with colorblindness
A genotypically normal mother and a colorblind father have a son who is also colorblind
X-linked disorders are inherited when a parent passes on his or her X-chromosome. Since females have two X-chromosomes, they are less likely to exhibit symptoms of a recessive disorder than males, who have only one. Females are capable of carrying a recessive X-linked trait without expressing it, while males are not. A male must inherit his Y-chromosome from the father and an X-chromosome from the mother, while a female must inherit X-chromosomes from both parents.
If a genotypically healthy mother and a colorblind father have a son, then this child must inherit an X-chromosome from the mother and a Y-chromosome from the father. The mother's chromosome are both genotypically normal, and do not possess the colorblind allele. This means that the son cannot possibly inherit a colorblind allele if the mother is genotypically normal.
All other presented answer represent scenarios that are possible.
Example Question #161 : Evolution And Genetics
Colorblindness is a recessive X-linked disorder. A genotypically normal man and a colorblind woman have two sons and one daughter. What is the probability that one son is colorblind and the other two children are phenotypically normal?
The Punnett square below represents the couple's possible offspring, with the mother having genotype and the father having genotype .
Since the disorder is X-linked, we know that any sons will necessarily inherit an affected allele from the mother. Any daughters will inherit an chromosome from each parent; by necessity, any daughters will be heterozygous carriers. The probability of any daughters being phenotypically normal is 100%, and the probability of any sons being colorblind is also 100%.
The question states that the couple had two sons and one daughter, and asks the probability that one son is colorblind, one son is normal, and one daughter is colorblind. These probabilities are 100%, 0%, and 100%, respectively.
There is a 0% chance that this combination of children is possible.
Example Question #2 : Inheritance
In this pedigree, affected individuals have a disease causing the person to be born with feathers instead of hair, called Disease P. Assume all individuals whose alleles cannot be determined do not carry the allele for the disease (are not heterozygous).
Disease P in the figure above is inherited in what manner?
Autosomal recessive
X-linked recessive
X-linked dominant
Autosomal dominant
The mode of inheritance cannot be determined
X-linked recessive
The first generation shows us a father with the disease and a mother without the disease. They produce three children, none of whom have the disease. Knowing that they do not have the disease allows us to eliminate dominant from consideration. In order for the third generation to be affected, the mother from the second generation must be a carrier. In the third generation, we see that the carrier mother has a male child with the disease with a father who does not have the disease. The male child will inherit the Y chromosome from his father, but must receive an X chromosome from the mother. He inherits the disease on this X chromosome.
Were the disease autosomal recessive, the father of the third generation child would need to be affected in order for him to inherit the trait. The disease must be X-linked recessive.
Example Question #6 : Inheritance
In flies, red eyes is a wildtype trait with the allele . This gene is found on the X-chromosome.
A wild type parent and a white-eyed parent are crossed. 50% of daughters have white eyes and 50% of sons have white eyes.
What are the genotypes of the parents?
Mother:
Father:
Mother:
Father:
Mother:
Father:
Mother:
Father:
Mother:
Father:
Mother:
Father:
We know that red eyes are the dominant allele, which means white eyes are the recessive allele. Both sexes of offspring present the recessive allele. It is especially important to note that the daughters can express the recessive allele. This means that they must have inherited one recessive allele from each parent, while the sons must have inherited the recessive allele from the mother (they inherit the Y-chromosome from the father).
White-eye daughters:
White-eye sons:
Each parent must have at least one recessive, white-eye allele. Since the father has only one X-chromosome, this chromosome must carry the white eye allele. We know that they father must have white eyes.
Father:
Since one parent has white eyes and the other has red eyes, we know the mother must have red eyes. She also carries the recessive allele, meaning that she is heterozygous.
Mother:
From this cross, we are able to get the percentages reported in the question. 50% of daughters will have red eyes and 50% will have white. The same percentages will be seen for the sons.
Example Question #162 : Evolution And Genetics
Color blindness is determined by a sex-linked recessive allele found on the X chromosome. A family has a daughter that sees normally, but a son that is color blind. The mother and father both have normal vision. The maternal grandfather also has normal vision.
Based on this family history, which statement is true?
The grandmother is colorblind.
The father is a carrier for color blindness.
The grandmother must carry at least one allele for colorblindness.
The daughter is a carrier for color blindness.
The grandmother must carry at least one allele for colorblindness.
In order to solve the problem, trace the colorblind allele all the way to the grandparent's alleles. It is possible that the daughter is a carrier, but this is not a guarantee. Males can not be carriers, as they only have one X chromosome; they either have the allele or they do not. Finally, the maternal grandmother may be colorblind, but this is not guaranteed.
All that we know is that at least one of the maternal grandmother's alleles codes for colorblindness. The maternal grandmother passed this allele to the mother. The color blind son inherits his Y chromosome from his father, and his only X chromosome from his mother; thus, the mother must be a carrier to pass down a color blind X chromosome to the son.
Example Question #12 : Understanding Autosomal And Sex Linked Inheritance
What is the name for a genome that contains an abnormal number of chromosomes?
Aneuploid
Duplication
Euploid
Translocation
Inversion
Aneuploid
If cell division occurs incorrectly, and the resulting cell contains an abnormal number of chromosomes, that cell is considered to be aneuploid. Polyploidy is the presence of an entire extra copy of the genome in a cell. Euploid (true ploid) refers to a cell with the correct number of chromosomes.
Example Question #163 : Evolution And Genetics
Genes that are on the same chromosome are called __________.
diploid genes
codominant genes
alleles
epistatic genes
linked genes
linked genes
Linked genes are found on the same chromosome, and do not always separate according to independent assortment. Alleles are different versions of a gene. Codominance is a mode of inheritance in which both alleles, if present, are fully expressed.
Example Question #164 : Evolution And Genetics
A man has a copy of an X-linked dominant trait. Is it possible for his son to also possess the trait?
Yes, but only if he inherits it from his mother
No
Yes, he can inherit it from his mother or his father
Yes, but only if he inherits it from his father
None of these
Yes, but only if he inherits it from his mother
Although X-linked dominant traits tend to be rare, it is certainly possible that the boy would inherit it from an affected mother. A father only gives a Y chromosome to his sons. This means that the boy could not inherit the X-linked dominant trait from his father.
Example Question #165 : Evolution And Genetics
A human cell has 22 chromosomes in addition to a Y chromosome. It is __________.
a sperm
a female somtic cell
a male somatic cell
an ovum
a female sex cell
a sperm
Since the cell has a total of 23 chromosomes it must be a gamete. Recall that the diploid number for humas is 2n=46. The presence of a Y chromosome means that it corresponds to a male gamete so it must be a sperm cell.
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