Unit 2 Flashcards
(151 cards)
Penetrance
-The fraction of individuals with a trait (disease) genotype who show manifestations of the disease. If all persons carrying a mutation have the trait, the condition is 100% penetrant. If some mutation carriers do not show signs of the trait, penetrance is incomplete (
Expressivity
The degree to which a trait is expressed in an individual (is a measure of severity). Expressivity is analogous to a light dimmer (the light is ‘on’ but the brightness (expressivity) exists along a spectrum (of severity)). The variation in phenotype is explained (in part) by sex influence, environmental factors, stochastic effects, and modifier genes
Sex influence and sex limitation
Phenotypic expression in some conditions is dependent on the individual’s sex (e.g. gout is more common in males than premenopausal females). Sex limitation occurs if only one sex can express a phenotype (e.g. unicornuate uterus).
Stochastic Effects on Mendelian gene patterns
Stochastic (random) effects can influence the expression of
phenotypes. This concept pays homage to the fact that some phenotypes may be influenced by chance events/processes absent any obvious genetic/environmental factor.
Modifier genes and Mendelian inheritance
Genetic factors outside of the genetic locus causing a disease can be important for the expression of Mendelian diseases.
Phenocopies
Diseases (traits) that are due to non-genetic factors. Example: A thyroid cancer due to radiation exposure cannot always be distinguished from a thyroid cancer due to mutations in RET gene.
Pleiotropy
Used to describe multiple different phenotypic effects due to mutation(s) in a single gene. Often used, when the phenotypes are seemingly unrelated and/or in multiple different tissues. Example: Neurofibromatosis Type I leads to: café au lait spots (skin), neurofibromas (peripheral nervous tissue), hammartomas in the eyes (ocular), abnormal freckling (skin again), and learning difficulties (central nervous system).
Polymorphism:
A genetic variant (mutation) which is common (>1%) in the populations
Founder effects:
a high frequency of a mutant allele in a population founded by a small ancestral
group when one or more of the original founders was a carrier of the mutant allele
Genetic drift:
random fluctuation of allele frequencies, usually in small populations
Estimating Autosomal dominant mutation rates (direct method)
For autosomal dominant conditions with 100% penetrance one can simply count
the number of new cases that occur with no family history. For example, if 12 disease cases are
identified in 100,000 children and 10 of the 12 cases have a negative family history, then the
mutation rate is 10/100,000 children. Since each child actually as 2 alleles for each gene the
theoretical gene ‘mutation-rate’ (μ) is 10/200,000, or 1/20,000 alleles
Estimating autosomal dominant mutation rates (indirect method)
For an autosomal dominant condition where the reproductive fitness (f) is zero
(i.e. affected persons do not survive to reproduce and/or are infertile) then all cases represent new
mutations. Since each child inherits 2 genes (each could mutate) then the incidence (I) of disease
is really twice the mutation rate I = 2μ.
Mutation rate estimation for nonzero fitness
Autosomal dominant: μ= 1/2 F (1-f) Autosomal recessive μ= F (1-f) X-linked recessive μ= 1/3 F (1-f) mu= mutation rate f=fitness F=frequency of disease
Hardy-Weinberg equation
p^2+ 2pq + q^2= 1.
In rare conditions q is small, making q^2
very small so 2pq»_space; q^2. This means that
most copies of the minor allele are found in
heterozygotes.
Idealized Assumptions in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE):
Large population mating randomly
Allele frequencies remain constant over time because:
o No appreciable rate of new mutation
o No selection for/against any allele
o No appreciable immigration/emigration of persons from population with different allele
frequencies
Stratification (Non-random mating)
refers to populations containing 2 or more subgroups which tend preferentially mate
within their own subgroup. Mate selection is not dependent on the trait/disease or interest.
(Example: sickle cell anemia in African Americans (AAs) has hig
Assortive mating
refers to when the choice of mate is dependent (in part) on a particular trait (or
sometimes a disease). This occurs because people tend to choose mates who resemble
themselves for (language, intelligence, height, skin color, etc.). This has been observed for
congenital short stature (previously called ‘dwarfism’), blindness, and deafness.
Consanguinity,
occurs when persons marry closely-related blood relatives. This, non-random,
mating practice increases matings between carriers of autosomal recessive diseases, thereby
increasing the number of cases of autosomal recessive diseases in the population.2
Mendel’s law of segregation
Law of Segregation:
At meiosis each allele (2) of a single gene separates/segregates into different gametes –> 50/50 ratio
Basically, all the alleles split up into different gametes
Mendel’s law of independent assortment
Law of Independent Assortment:
At meiosis the segregation of each pair of alleles in >= 2 genes is independent –> each 50/50 ratio
Separate genes for separate traits are passed along to offspring independently of one another – they’re ‘independently assorted’
X-linked recessive inheritance pattern
X-linked recessive:
- if you’re female, will not display phenotype, but will be a carrier
- if you’re male, and your mother is a carrier, you have a chance of getting it. If your father is a carrier, you will not get it
X-linked dominant inheritance
- if the father has it – all daughters will definitely display phenotype. Sons will not.
- if the mother has it – daughters & sons may get it
Three “threats” to mendelian inheritance
Penetrance:
Affected/unaffected
(lightswitch)
Expressivity:
Severity
(Dimmer)
Pleiotropy:
Localized or multi-system?
(Lights on in several rooms of house, or just one?
Size of human genome
- 3 x 10^9 bp