Feralis Ch 5 Flashcards
Law of Segregation
one member of each chromosome pair migrates to an opposite pole in anaphase I so that each gamete is haploid
i. Basically, each gamete is left with one copy of each allele
Law of Independent Assortment
the migration of homologues within one pair of homologous chromosomes does not influence the migration of homologues of other homologous pairs
Monohybrid cross
two organisms with variations at one gene of interest are crossed
Dihybrid cross
two organisms with variations at two genes of interest on different chromosomes are crossed
Test cross
when the genotype of an organism expressing the dominant phenotype is unknown, the unknown organism is crossed with a homozygous recessive organism to determine if the unknown is homozygous dominant, or heterozygous dominant
Punnett squares
a technique that uses probability rules to determine the outcomes of either monohybrid or dihybrid crosses and the subsequent expected frequencies
i. To set up a Punnett square, the genotype of both parents are listed outside the box, and the resultant combinations are written inside the boxes
Incomplete dominance
blending of expressions of alleles
i. For example, a red flower and white
flower are crossed to result in a unique heterozygous pink offspring
Codominance
both of the inherited alleles are completely expressed
i. For example, blood types A and B
or both can show as AB if expressed
Multiple alleles
blood groups have four possible phenotypes, the codominant A, codominant B, and O, leading to four possible genotypes and phenotypes
i. AO → type A
ii. BO → type B
iii. AB → codominant AB type
iv. OO → type O
Epistasis
the process in which one gene affects the phenotypic expression of a second gene. A common example of epistasis is fur pigmentation in mice → one gene controls the production of pigment by either turning on or turning off and the second gene controls the color or amount of color deposited in the fur. Therefore, if the first gene codes for no pigment, then the second gene has no effect
Pleiotropy
when a single gene has more than one phenotypic expression
i. One example of pleiotropy is a gene in pea plants that expresses for seed texture, but also influences the phenotype of starch metabolism and water uptake
ii. Another example of this is how
sickle cell anemia leads to different health conditions
a. Sickle cell anemia - A mutation
in the single gene responsible can result in the expression of multiple different health conditions: pain, stroke, high blood pressure, etc.
Polygenic inheritance
the interaction of many genes to shape a single phenotype with continuous variation such as height, skin color, or hair color
Linked genes
when two or more genes reside physically close to one another on the same chromosome and therefore cannot separate independently as they are inherited together
i. The closer two genes are on a chromosome, the less likely they are to be separated by genetic recombination (a process that occurs due to crossing over in meiosis I)
Chance of recombination between genes
Genes that are completely unlinked have a 50% chance of recombination, and the lower the percentage of recombination, the more likely the genes are linked/closer together
A greater recombination frequency means that the genes are located farther apart on the same chromosome, and therefore more likely to undergo recombination.
Linkage maps
Linkage maps can be generated to visualize recombination frequency in linked genes
Sex-linked genes
a type of linked gene that refers to a single gene residing on a sex chromosome that is inherited differently in males and females
i. One example of a sex-linked gene involves males. When a male (XY) receives an X chromosome from his mother, whether or not a dominant or recessive trait on the X chromosome is expressed depends on the mother as there is no copy on the Y chromosome
Sex-influenced genes
these differ from sex-linked genes in that the expression of genes can be influenced by the sex of the individual carrying the trait
i. For example, a female with the genotype Bb could be bald while a male with the same genotype is not
Genomic imprinting
Sex-influenced genes are similar to genomic imprinting, in which one allele, either paternal or maternal, is not expressed in the offspring. Genomic imprinting is also different from sex-linked genes since this is seen in autosomal chromosomes
Genomic imprinting causes genes to be expressed in a parent-of-origin-specific manner
Penetrance
describes the probability an organism with a specific genotype will express a particular phenotype
Complete penetrance
the genes for a trait are expressed in all of the population who have the gene
Incomplete penetrance
the genes for a trait are only expressed in a percentage of the population who have the gene
Variable Expressivity
this term describes the variation or range of phenotypes for a specific genotype
i. For example: the gene for red hair
could result in light hair, dark crimson hair, or any range of color in between.
X-inactivation
during embryonic development in female mammals, one of the two inherited X chromosomes does not uncoil into chromatin, and remains as a dark and coiled compact body, which is referred to as a Barr body. Barr bodies are therefore not expressed, and only the genes on the other X chromosome that did uncoil are expressed.
i. It is important to understand that
either one of these two inherited X chromosomes can be inactivated. This process ultimately results in all of these genes in the female to not be expressed similarly. Moreover, all of the cells in a female mammal do not necessarily have identical function.
ii. A common example of x-inactivation is in Calico cats, where the characteristic black and orange fur coat depends on which copy of the X chromosome the cell chooses to leave active
Nondisjunction
describes when one or more chromosome pairs or chromatids fail to separate during mitosis. This commonly occurs during anaphase of mitosis, when two chromatids of a single chromosome fail to separate, or during anaphase of meiosis. In meiosis, recall there are two anaphases: homologous chromosomes fail to separate during meiosis I and sister chromatids fail to separate during meiosis II.
i. Depending on when nondisjunction occurs (in anaphase I, anaphase II, or mitotic anaphase), different outcomes can occur
Mosaicism
a phenomenon that occurs in cells that undergo nondisjunction in meiosis during embryonic development; fraction of body cells have extra or missing chromosomes
Polyploidy
when all chromosomes undergo meiotic nondisjunction and produce gametes with twice the number of chromosomes
a. Is common in plants
Point mutation
single nucleotide change causing either substitution, insertion, or deletion - the latter two which can cause a frameshift mutation.
A transition mutation involves conversion of a purine to purine or pyrimidine to pyrimidine.
A transversion mutation involves conversion of a purine to pyrimidine or vice versa.
Aneuploidy
a genome with extra or missing chromosomes, often caused by nondisjunction
Down syndrome
An example of aneuploidy
Trisomy 21
Turner syndrome
An example of aneuploidy
Turner syndrome is a genetic condition in which a female is either completely missing, or partly missing, an X chromosome, leading to the genotype XO. Turner syndrome also occurs as a result of nondisjunction, and the main genetic defect is the offspring is born with physical abnormalities.
Klinefelter’s Syndrome
An example of aneuploidy
Klinefelter’s Syndrome (XXY) is when a male is born with an extra X chromosome
Duplications
chromosome segments are repeated on the same chromosome, which can occur from unequal crossing over
Inversions
chromosome segments are rearranged in reverse orientation
Translocations
one segment of a chromosome is moved to another chromosome.
a. Can be reciprocal (two non-homologous chromosomes swap segments) or Robertsonian (one chromosome from a homologous pair becomes attached to another chromosome from a different pair). For example, an extra chromosome 21 attached to chromosome 14 can cause Down syndrome as well, due to the tripled 21 chromosome segment.
There is no gain or loss of genetic information in a reciprocal translocation, while there is a loss of genetic information in a Robertsonian translocation.
Chromosomal breakage
spontaneous or induced breakage of a chromosomal segment via mutagenic agents or X-rays
Mutagenic agents
include cosmic rays, X-rays, UV rays, radioactivity, chemical compounds including colchicine and mustard gas that can cause genetic mutations. Mutagenic agents are generally also carcinogenic
Colchicine functions by inhibiting spindle formation, which can cause polyploidy
Phenylketonuria (PKU)
Autosomal recessive condition
inability to produce the proper enzyme for phenylalanine breakdown, causing degradation product phenylpyruvic acid to accumulate
Cystic fibrosis
Autosomal recessive condition
fluid buildup in respiratory tracts
Tay-sachs
Autosomal recessive condition
lysosome defect in which cells can’t breakdown lipids for normal brain function
Huntington’s disease
Autosomal dominant condition
nervous system degeneration
Achondroplasia
Autosomal dominant condition
Causes dwarfism
Hypercholesterolemia
Autosomal dominant condition
excess cholesterol in blood that progresses into heart disease
Hemophilia
Sex-linked recessive condition
sex-linked recessive genetic condition causing abnormal blood clotting
Color blindness
Sex-linked recessive condition
primarily observed in males
Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy
Sex-linked recessive condition
progressive loss of muscle
Down’s Syndrome
Chromosomal disorder
trisomy 21
Turner’s Syndrome
Chromosomal disorder
deletion of X chromosome → XO genotype
Klinefelter’s Syndrome
Chromosomal disorder
extra X chromosome → XXY genotype
Cri du Chat
Chromosomal disorder
deletion on chromosome 5
Amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS)
A fetus can be tested for genetic disorders via amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS)
Extranuclear inheritance
extranuclear genes (genes present in organelles other than the nucleus) are found in mitochondria and chloroplasts
i. Defects in mitochondrial DNA can reduce a cell’s ATP production, and because mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother, all related mitochondrial defects/ diseases are also inherited. Note that mitochondria have their own 70S ribosomes that make mitochondrial proteins within the mitochondria matrix.
ii. Mitochondrial DNA is also an exception to the universality of the genetic code
Hemizygous
Hemizygous is when one single copy of a gene is inherited instead of two.
i. One example of a hemizygous genotype is males, who have XY sex chromosomes, aka only a single copy of both X and Y genes inherited
ii. Important note - don’t confuse XY with homologous pairs
Phenotype and genotype ratios
Phenotype and genotype ratios are not necessarily the same - if there are multiple sets of alleles, treat each of the crosses individually and then multiply the individual probabilities to get the overall probability of one specific genotype outcome
Lethal gene
Imagine we cross Aa x Aa, and get 1 AA, 2 Aa, and 1 aa. If “aa” is lethal, our genotypic ratio would be AA and Aa present in a 1:2 ratio.
DNA
A, T, C, G; the hereditary information of the cell; contains a double helix with major and minor grooves
DNA backbone
consists of 5’ to 3’ phosphodiester bonds to form a sugar- phosphate backbone
RNA
A, U, C, G; has functional usage in the cell; varies per type (mRNA is linear, tRNA is in a clover shape, while rRNA is globular)
DNA replication
begins at origins of replication in the middle of a DNA molecule
DNA strands separate to form replication bubbles that expand in both directions. As thousands of these bubbles open up, replication speeds up and 3 billion base pairs can be replicated.
Origin of replication between eukaryote and prokaryote
Prokaryotes have one origin of replication while eukaryotes have multiple origins of replication
DNA Replication steps
- A second chromatid containing a copy of DNA is assembled during interphase
- Helicase is the enzyme that unwinds DNA, forming a Y shaped replication fork
- DNA polymerase moves from the 3’ → 5’ direction only, and synthesizes a new strand that is antiparallel (5’ → 3’)
- Primase is an enzyme that creates a small strip of RNA off of which DNA polymerase can work since it can only add to an existing strand
Semiconservative replication
DNA is replicated via semiconservative replication, in which one the two strands of DNA is always old and one is always new
S phase of interphase is when DNA is replicated. Therefore, in order to do so, DNA is unzipped and each strand serves a template for complementary replication
Helicase
Helicase is the enzyme that unwinds DNA, forming a Y shaped replication fork - Once DNA is unwound, we introduce several new enzymes to carry out replication
Single stranded binding proteins (SSBPs)
Single stranded binding proteins (SSBPs) attach to each strand of uncoiled DNA to keep them separate
Topoisomerases
Topoisomerases (like DNA gyrase) break and rejoin the DNA double helix of the replication fork, allowing the prevention of knots
ease tension of coiled DNA by introducing nicks and cuts into the DNA strand