Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance (6) Flashcards
Cytogenetics
Study of chromosomes, anything more than a single gene
Autosomes
Chromsomes 1-22
Why cytogenetics?
0.7% livebirths
5% stillbirths
50% miscarriages
Up to 100% cancers
Up to 40% of all conceptions!
> 140 known syndromes
Conventional cytogenetic analysis
G-banding, metaphase chromosome analysis
Molecular cytogenetic analysis
Molecular resolution at all stages of cell cycle (DNA/in situ), FISH, microarray CGH, next generation sequencing, MLPA, QF-PCR, qPCR
Mitosis
Interphase Prophase Metaphase Anaphalse Telophase Cytokinesis
How long does it take to do one cell division?
24 hours
G-banding
Each chromosome band has 50 genes, alternating light and dark bands
Types of cytogenetic abnormality
Numerical/structural
How do you produce abnormal phenotype?
- Dosage effect
- Disruption of gene
- Effect due to parental origin
- Position effect
- Unmasking of recessive disorder
Dosage effect
A gain/loss, most important and frequent > lead to change in function of genes, cope with a gain of genes more than a loss
Disruption of gene
Breakpoint/inappropriate activation/inactivation
Effect due to parental origin
Genomic imprinting (maternal age increases aneuploidy, paternal doesn’t)
Position effect
A gene in a new chromosomal environment functions inappropriately
Phenotypic severity
- Many lethal in utero (spontaneous abortion)
- Survival imbalances (organ malformation, reduced intelligence, facial dysmorphism)
- Sex chromosome imbalance
Is sex chromosome or autosomal imbalance more severe?
Sex chromosome imbalance
Diploidy
2 copies of each chromosome
Aneuploidy
Gain (trisomy) or loss (monosomy)
Polyploidy
Gain whole set (triploidy/tetraploidy)
Mosaicism
Diploidy and aneuploidy
Causes of chromosomal imbalance
Gametogenesis/meiosis, Fertilisation and Early cleavage
Errors at gametogenesis
Increase in maternal age > increase in aneuploidy, increase in paternal age > no significant risk
Meiotic errors (non-disjunction)
Failure of chromosome/chromatid separation > disomic/nullisomic/normal gametes
Which chromosomes does autosomal aneuploidy usually effect?
Trisomy 13, 18, 21 - small chromosomes so they have few genes on them, can just about tolerate gains
Trisomy 21
Down’s syndrome
How common is trisomy 21?
1/700
How many spontaneously abort with trisomy 21?
75%
What are symptoms of trisomy 21?
- Head (eyes upward slanting, brush field spots, small nose, ears abnormally shaped/low set, tongue protruding/small mouth, flat face, brachycephalic, short neck)
- Neurological (learning disabilities, mild > moderate 30-60 IQ)
- Hands and feet (short and broad, single palmar crease, 5th finger clinodactly, wide sandal gap)
- Fertility - males infertile
What is average life expectancy of somebody with trisomy 21?
55-68 years
What medical problems are associated with trisomy 21?
Increased risk of cancer (leukaemia), Alzheimer’s, hypothyroid, obesity, coeliac, arthritis, diabetes, hearing loss, seizures
Trisomy 18
Edwards syndrome
How common is trisomy 18
1/6000 live births
How many spontaneously abort with trisomy 18?
95%, and only 10% survive > 1 year
What are symptoms of trisomy 18?
- Head (microcephaly, low set ears, micrognathia - small jaw, cleft lip and palate)
- Hands and feet (clenched and overlapping fingers, rocker bottom feet)
- Low birth weight, short sternum, severe mental retardation
- Organ malformations (umbilical/inguinal hernia, congenital HD 90%, congenital kidney abnormalities, eye abnormalities - cataracts, micropthalmia)
Female meiosis begins when?
At 5 months, eggs are suspended until puberty
Male meiosis begins when?
At puberty
Autosomal aneuploidy and maternal age
Unfavourable chiasmata distribution (foetus) and age - dependent deterioration of meiotic structures (10-40years later - alcohol and hormonal changes)
Sex chromosome aneuploidy
No age-related risk, phenotype less severe than autosomal, sexual orientation not affected
45 X
Turner’s syndrome
How common is Turner’s syndrome?
1/2500
Symptoms of Turner’s syndrome
- Reproductive (loss of ovarian function, no puberty, infertility)
- Lymphatic (obstruction) (webbed neck, swelling of hand/feet)
- Short stature
- Coarctation of aorta
- IQ normal/reduced compared to siblings
47 XXY
Klinefelter syndrome
How common is Klinefelter’s syndrome?
1/1000
What percentage of people with Klinefelter’s syndrome are undiagnosed?
64%, identified through infertility and/or hypogonadism
What percentage of Klinefelter’s syndrome are 47 XXY?
80%, 20% mosaic/variant
Symptoms of Klinefelter’s syndrome
- Infertility (lack of secondary sexual characteristics, testicular dysgenesis)
- Growth (normal infants, then accelerates, long arms and legs)
- IQ (norma, may decrease with increase of Xs)
- Female body characteristics - breasts, body shape
By how much does Klinefelter’s syndrome increase your risk of breast cancer?
20 times
What percentage of people with Klinefelter’s syndrome develop gynaecomastia?
30-50%
Errors at fertilisation
Polyploidy and molar pregnancy
What is molar pregnancy?
Double paternal gene and no maternal genetic content, empty egg with massive cystic placenta
How common is triploidy?
2% of all pregnancies, 1/57,000 live births
What percentage of triploidy pregnancies spontaneous abort?
99.9%
Triploidy
69 XXY, 69 XYY, 69 XXX
Digyny
2N from egg, 1N from sperm
Diplospermy
2N from sperm, 1N from egg
Dispermy
1N from 2 sperm, 1N from egg
What happens to foetus if you have double maternal genes?
Small placenta, macrocephaly as placenta concentrates on the head, significant growth delay
What happens to foetus if you have double paternal genes?
Huge over developed cystic placenta, slight growth retardation, risk of developing polycarcinoma in future
How common is molar pregnancy?
1/1000
How is molar pregnancy detected?
Ultrasound or by heavy bleeding early on in pregnancy
Mosaicism
Mitotic non-disjunction/failure to separate
Trisomic zygote rescue
In early division - kick out extra 21
Consequences of mosaicism
- Variable phenotype
- Variable lethality vs extra embryonic
- Non-identical twin (occur post-zygotically in one twin)
- Tissue-specificity (lateral asymmetry - effects certain parts of body)
- Uniparental disomy (UPD)
- Recurrence risk (if gonadal)
- All females are mosaic - X-inactivated in some cells
Chromosomal rearrangement - balanced
Translocations and inversions (doesn’t really effect phenotype)
Chromosomal rearrangement - unbalanced
Deletions and duplications (effects phenotype)
Reciprocal translocation
Break and exchange, 1/500, 5-10% phenotype risk, reproductive risk, change shape/size of chromosome, may break important genes
Robertsonian translocation
Only acrocentrics (13, 14, 15, 21, 22, long q arm, short p arm), 2 q arms join together after break, 1/1000, no phenotype risk, reproductive risk, decrease number of chromosomes
Inversions
2 breaks, 180 degree rotation and then rejoin, 1/1000, 5-10% phenotype risk, reproductive risk
Pericentric inversion
1 break either side of centromere
Paracentric inversion
2 breaks in 1 arm, 1 side of centromere
Deletions and duplications
Loose large chunks of DNA, usually sporadic, more common in males, 1/2000, copy number variation (CNV)
Interstitial deletion
Segment within chromosome is lost
Terminal deletion
End of chromosome is lost
Duplications
Gain of segment, material copied, direct/inverted
Ring chromosome
Breaks at each end, then circulation
Trisomy 13
Patau syndrome
What are the symptoms of trisomy 13?
- Small
- Head (severe mental retardation, microcephaly/sloping forehead, holoprosencephaly (absence of forebrain))
- Eyes (micropthalmia, coloboma, retinal dysplasia, palpebral fissures slanted)
- Cleft lip/palate, ears abnormal and low, polydactyly, fingers flexed, heart defect, abnormal genitalia
How common is Trisomy 13?
1/12,000
Survival trisomy 13
95% spontaneously abort