chapter 15 the chromosomal basis of inheritance Flashcards
What did Morgan demonstrate about Mendelian inheritance?
Mendelian inheritance has its physical basis in the behaviour of chromosomes
Morgan’s work showed the correlation between genes and chromosome behaviour.
What are sex linked genes?
Genes located on sex chromosomes, such as X-linked or Y-linked genes
They exhibit unique patterns of inheritance.
Why do linked genes tend to be inherited together?
They are located near each other on the same chromosome
This proximity increases the likelihood of being passed on together.
What can alterations of chromosome number or structure cause?
Genetic disorders
These alterations can lead to spontaneous abortions or developmental disorders.
What is the significance of tagging isolated chromosomes with a fluorescent dye?
It allows for the location of genes along chromosomes to be visualized
This technique aids in genetic mapping.
What was the result of Morgan’s experiment with fruit flies regarding eye color?
The F1 generation all had red eyes, while the F2 generation showed a 3:1 ratio of red to white eyes, with only males having white eyes
This led to the conclusion that the white-eyed allele was on the X chromosome.
How are Y-linked genes inherited?
Passed only from father to son
This is due to only males having a Y chromosome.
What is required for a recessive X-linked trait to be expressed in females?
Two copies of the allele (homozygous)
Males need only one copy (hemizygous).
What are examples of X-linked recessive disorders?
- Red-green color blindness
- Hemophilia
These disorders are more common in males than females.
What is X inactivation in female mammals?
One of the two X chromosomes in each cell is randomly inactivated during embryonic development
This leads to females being mosaics for certain traits.
What is nondisjunction?
The failure of homologous chromosomes to separate normally during meiosis
This can lead to gametes with abnormal chromosome numbers.
What is aneuploidy?
An abnormal number of a particular chromosome in offspring
Results from fertilization of gametes where nondisjunction occurred.
What are the types of chromosomal alterations?
- Deletion
- Duplication
- Inversion
- Translocation
These structural changes can lead to genetic disorders.
What is Down syndrome caused by?
Three copies of chromosome 21 (trisomy 21)
This condition affects 1 in 700 children born in the US.
What is Klinefelter syndrome?
A condition resulting from an XXY chromosome configuration in males
This often leads to sterility and subtle symptoms.
What is Cri du chat syndrome?
A disorder caused by a specific deletion in chromosome 5
Individuals typically exhibit mental retardation and a characteristic cat-like cry.
What is the role of crossing over in genetic recombination?
It occasionally breaks the physical connection between linked genes on the same chromosome
This results in new combinations of alleles.
What is a linkage map?
A genetic map of a chromosome based on recombination frequencies
It helps illustrate the distances between genes.
What is polyploidy?
An organism with more than two complete sets of chromosomes
Common in plants but rare in animals.
What are the symptoms of Edwards Syndrome?
Severe disability, with babies usually not living longer than a week due to trisomy 18
This condition is less common than Down syndrome but more severe.
What is hypertrichosis?
A condition characterized by an abnormal amount of hair
It can be congenital or acquired.
True or False: Female mammals can exhibit a mosaic phenotype due to X inactivation.
True
Heterozygous females can express different traits from their X chromosomes.
How can a gene’s location be identified?
By tagging isolated chromosomes with a fluorescent dye
What accounts for Mendel’s laws of segregation and independent assortment?
The behavior of chromosomes during meiosis