structural abnormalities Flashcards
Chromosomal rearrangements require
two DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) and can be induced by a variety of DNA damaging agents
Structural rearrangements can be
inherited and can also lead to further rearrangement during meiosis.
two types of structural rearrangements
- balanced
2. unbalanced
Balanced:
Individuals with balanced rearrangements have normal complements of chromosomal material, meaning there is no loss of genetic material. However, these rearrangements have varying stabilities during meiosis and mitosis.
examples of balanced
- paracentric inversion (exclude centromere)
- pericentric inversion (include centromere)
- reciprocal translocation
- robertsonian translocation
Chromosomes with inversions can have normal genetic complements, and therefore may produce no phenotypes in carriers of the rearrangement. However,
inversions may generate abnormal gametes during meiosis
During the pairing of homologs in meiosis, a loop is introduced in the homolog containing the
the inversion, which maximizes the association of homologous sequences
If a crossover occurs within the inverted region of a paracentric inversion,
both dicentric (two centromeres) chromosomes and acentric chromosomes can be generated, leading to chromosome breakage or loss.
In pericentric inversions,
crossovers within the inverted region can produce duplications and deletions.
46,XX,inv(9)(p13q13),
a female with an inversion of the sequences between band 13 on the short arm and band 13 on the long arm of chromosome 9.
Reciprocal translocation: results from
the breakage and rejoining of non-homologous chromosomes, with a reciprocal exchange of the broken segments.
As with inversions, carriers of reciprocal translocations have an increased _______; _______are often found in couples that have had two or more spontaneous abortions, and also in infertile males. When the chromosomes of a carrier of a balanced reciprocal translocation pair at meiosis, a ______ is formed.
risk of producing unbalanced gametes
balanced translocations
quadrivalent figure
At anaphase, these chromosomes are segregated in one of three ways,
- alternate,
- adjacent-1,
- adjacent-2 segregation.
Alternate segregation,
the most frequent meiotic segregation pattern, produces gametes that have either the normal chromosome complement or two reciprocal translocation chromosomes, both of which are balanced with respect to chromosome complement
However, adjacent-1 and –2 segregation mechanisms lead to
unbalanced gametes.
The risks to offspring depend on the specific translocation in question, but the general empirical risk is 5-10% lethality
46,XX,t(9;22)(q34;q11.2),
a female with a translocation involving chromosomes 9 and 22, which has been shown to cause chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Robertsonian translocation:
the fusion of two acrocentric chromosomes within their centromeric regions, resulting in the loss of both short arms (containing rDNA repeats).
Robertsonian translocations result in the
reduction of chromosome number, but are considered balanced rearrangements because the loss of some rDNA repeats is not deleterious.
Carriers of Robertsonian translocations are
phenotypically normal, but these rearrangements may lead to unbalanced karyotypes for their offspring, resulting in monosomies and trisomies.
Robertsonian translocations involves
chromosome 14 are by far the most frequent, constituting ~85% of all Robertsonian translocations. Common examples include a translocation involving chromosomes 14 and 21, karyotype
Unbalanced:
the chromosome set has additional or missing material. Phenotypes of these individuals are likely to be abnormal. Duplication of genetic material in gametes can lead to partial trisomy after fertilization with a normal gamete, while deletions lead to partial monosomy
examples of unbalanced:
- deletion
a. terminal deletion
b. interstitial deletion - duplication
- ring chromosome
- isochromosome
Deletion:
loss of genetic information that can arise by simple chromosome breakage and rejoining, unequal crossing over between misaligned homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids, or by abnormal segregation of a balanced translocation or inversion.
The clinical consequences of deletions reflect
haploinsufficiency, where the contribution of the remaining normal allele is unable to prevent disease