B2 - Genetic Disorders Flashcards
What is polydactyly?
A genetic disorder that causes an extra finger or toe to grow
Is polydactyly dominant?
Yes
Is cystic fibrosis dominant?
No
What is cystic fibrosis?
A genetic disorder that affects cell membranes so that water can’t pass into mucus meaning that it is very thick and sticky which means that oxygen can’t reach the bloodstream very well
What is the less harmful effect of cystic fibrosis?
Can’t digest very well because digestive enzymes are hindered by mucus
What is a pedigree chart?
A family tree-like diagram which shows how a genetic disorder passes down through a family
What are inherited genetic disorders?
Disorders that comes from the alleles passed from the mother and father
Describe embryonic screening
During IVF, embryos are fertilised in a lab and implanted into the mother’s womb
Before being implanted, it is possible to remove a cell from each embryo and analyse it’s genes
Genetic disorders can be detected this way and only the embryos with good alleles would be implanted
What are the 3 arguments for embryonic screening?
It will help to stop people suffering
There are laws to stop the parent having too much control on how the baby will end up
During IVF, most of the embryos are destroyed anyway and screening just allows the selected one to be healthy
What are the 4 arguments against embryonic screening?
It may come to a point where people are designing their babies
Rejected embryos are destroyed and could have been humans
It implies that people with genetic problems are undesirable
Screening is expensive
