Chapter 4: Extensions and Modifications of Basic Principles Flashcards
What states does sexual reproduction alternate between?
Haploid and diploid states
What produces haploid gametes?
Meiosis
What produces a diploid zygote?
Fertilization (fusion of gametes)
How do male and female gametes differ?
In size and shape
How many pairs of chromosomes do humans have? How many autosomes?
- 23
- 22
What chromosome do males possess? What about females?
- Male: XY
- Female: XX
What is the SRY gene? Which chromosome is it located on?
- Y chromosome
- Causes the development of male characteristics
- Females do NOT possess the SRY gene
Which experimentation allowed us to discover that the SRY gene encoded for male characteristics?
- In mice, the SRY gene was knocked-down, which resulted in the loss of male characteristics in a male mouse
- When the SRY gene was inserted in a female, the mouse gains male characteristics
What allows the X and Y chromosome pairing in males?
- X and Y chromosomes are homologous at the pseudoautosomal regions
- Similarity is enough to allow pairing of X-Y chromosomes
What is the ratio of XX-XY sex determination?
1:1 sex ratio
What is the prevalence of Turner syndrome?
1 in 3000 females
What are the symptoms of Turner syndrome?
- Short
- Low hairline
- Broad chest
- Normal intelligence
- Most likely sterile
What is the genetic problem in Turner syndrome? What is the cause?
- Women only have a single X chromosome in their cells (XO)
- Due to problems at the cohesion level, the homologous chromosomes don’t dissociate, which creates unbalanced gametes.
What is the prevalence of Klinefelter syndrome?
1 in 1000 males
What are the symptoms of Klinefelter syndrome?
- Small testes
- Reduced facial and pubic hair
- Tall
- Sterile
- Normal intelligence
What is the genetic problem in Klinefelter syndrome?
- Men have a Y chromosome and two or more X chromosomes in their cells (XXY, XXXYY, XXXY)
- Due to non-disjunction as in Turner syndrome
What is the prevalence of Poly-X (Triplo-X) syndrome?
1 in 1000 females
What are the symptoms of Poly-X syndrome?
- No distinctive features
- Tall and thin
- Few are sterile (incidence is only slightly higher)
- Few are mentally challenged (incidence is only slightly higher)
- Often, women live their lives without knowing they have Poly-X
What is the genetic problem in Poly-X?
- Multiple X chromosomes (XXX, XXXX, XXXXX)
- The severity of intellectual disability increases as the number of X chromosomes increases beyond 3
What is androgen-insensitivity syndrome?
- When a person who is genetically male (one X and one Y chromosome) is resistant to male hormones (called androgens)
- The person has some or all the physical traits of a woman, but the genetic makeup of a man
What organism uses the XX-XO sex determination system?
Grasshoppers
In the XX-XO sex determination system, what is a male and what is a female? What might males also possess?
- Female: XX
- Male: XO (heterogametic) or X (hemigametic)
- There is no O chromosome - the letter O signifies the absence of a sex chromosome
What organism uses the ZZ-ZW sex determination system?
Birds, snakes, amphibians, fish
In the ZZ-ZW sex determination system, what is a male and what is a female? What might males also possess?
- Female: ZW (heterogametic)
- Male: ZZ (homogametic)