Biochemistry First Aid- Genetics (pg 84-91) Flashcards
pgs 84-91 in First Aid 2014 (100 cards)
define codominance
when both alleles contribute to the phenotype
list some common examples of codominance
AB blood groups, alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency
define variable expressivity
phenotype varies among individuals with the same genotype
name a good neuro example of variable expressivity
NF1 (two patients with neurofibromatosis 1 will have varying disease severity)
define incomplete penetrance
not all individuals with the mutant genotype show the mutant phenotype
what is a commonly known cancer gene that exhibits incomplete penetrance
BRCA1 gene mutations do not always result in breast or ovarian cancer
what is pleiotropy
one gene results in multiple phenotypic effects
name a common condition that exhibits pleiotropy
PKU (phenylketonuria) manifests with light skin, intellectual disability, and musty body odor
what is anticipation
increased severity or earlier onset of disease in succeeding generations
what kind of genetic conditions show anticipation
trinucleotide repeat diseases (i.e. Huntington’s, several spinocerebellar ataxias, Fragile X syndrome, Freidrich’s ataxia, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, myotonic dystrophy)
explain the concept of loss of heterozygosity
if a patient develops a mutation in a tumor suppressor gene the other allele must be either mutated or deleted before cancer can develop (not true of oncogenes)
what is a dominant negative mutation
a heterozygote produces a nonfunctional altered protein that impairs function of the normal gene product
describe a key example of dominant negative mutation
mutation of a transcription factor in its allosteric site. The non-functioning protein can still bind DNA, preventing wild-type transcription factor from binding
what is linkage disequilibrium and what kind of sample is used to measure it
it is the tendency for certain alleles at 2 linked loci to occur together more often than expected by chance. It is measured in a population, not in a family, and it often varies in different populations.
what is mosaicism and how does it come about
the presence of genetically distinct cell lines in the same individual. It arises from mitotic errors after fertilization.
name and explain the two types of mosaicism
somatic (mutation propagates in different organs)
gonadal (mutation propagates through egg or sperm cells)
name a commonly-known mosaic condition
McCune-Albright syndrome (lethal is somatic, but survivable if mosaic)
what is locus heterogeneity
mutations at different loci can produce a similar phenotype
what kind of genetic heterogeneity does beta-thalassemia exhibit
allelic heterogeneity
what kind of genetic heterogeneity does albinism exhibit
locus heterogeneity
define allelic heterogeneity
different mutations at the same locus produce the same phenotype
what is heteroplasmy
presence of both normal and mutated mtDNA, resulting in variable expression in mitochondrial inherited disease
what is uniparental disomy
the offspring receives two copies of a chromosome from one parent and none from the other
what are the two ways uniparental disomy can occur
heterodisomy: (heterozygous) indicates a meiosis I error
isodisomy: (homozygous) indicates a meiosis II error or postzygomatic duplication of one of the chromosomes with loss of the other