Final Review Flashcards
Before Midterm
Classical Genetics
Understanding the inheritance of phenotypes
Molecular genetics
Understanding the mechanisms of genetic regulation.
Assumed blending inheritance
average of parental phenotypes.
Most of our understanding came from plant/animal breeding
artificial selection
Gene
DNA sequence for a specific protein.
Generally, a specific region of the genome that codes for a particular protein; a specific locus.
Allele
A specific sequence of a gene, generally to compare between alleles of a single gene
Homozygote
In diploids, where both copies of a gene are the same allele-a genotype
Heterozygote
In diploids, where both copies of a gene are different alleles- a genotype
Dominant
Allele’s phenotype appears in both homozygotes and heterozygotes
Capital letters
Recessive
Allele’s phenotype only evident in homozygotes.
Lower case letters
Genotype
The genetic sequence of interest
Phenotype
The physical/cellular/protein results of a genotype and environmental effects.
Characteristics produced by different genotypes, also a response to the environment.
Features of the phenotype
dominant
recessive
If you cross 2 homozygotes with different alleles you will get
a heterozygote
P/P0
Parental cross (homozygote)
‘true breeding’
F1
First generation offspring/hybrid (heterozygotes).
Shows dominant phenotype, genotypes hidden.
F2
Second generation offspring/hybrids (not all heterozygotes).
Shows all possible phenotypes, can infer all genotypes.
Monohybrid cross
Looking at a single trait/gene.
Crosses of two varieties of true-breeding plants that differed in one character.
Dihybrid cross
Looking at 2 traits/genes
Crosses of two varieties of true-breeding plants that differed in two characters.
For every chracter, one trait is dominant and one trait is recessive.
Test cross
Determining unknown genotype by crossing an unknown individual with a homozygous recessive
Mendel’s peas
High number of progeny, easy to grow, short life cycle, easy to control mating (pollination)
Different varieties were readily available.
Two easily distinguishable states (tall or short)
No linkage
Traits controlled by single genes.
The fate of mendel’s genes
Identification of the mutations/genes for 4/7 traits so far.
Mendel’s approach 1
Designed crosses carefully and kept detailed records of each.
Counted the number of offspring that had the traits he was following.
Kept track of generations and followed inheritance over several generations.
Asked very specific questions and made testable predictions from results.
Mendel’s approach II
Key to his success:
Mendel created tru breeding lineages; plants were crossed repeatedly until all offspring looked like parentals-homozygotes. Mostly done through selfing.
Followed a key rule of the scientific method: good controls
Selfing
easy to make true breeding lineages amimals are too much work.
Mendel’s Experiment #1
Monohybrid cross: crosses of two varieties of true-bredding plants that differed in only one character. Only 1 phenotype appears in the F1 (dominant, no info about genotype). F2 shows all possible phenotypes from combinations of genotypes. VAst majority of the peas were still round.
Wrinkled information was not lost.
Mendel’s Conclusions I
There is a difference between a trait (phenotype) and the information for the trait (genotype).
Round seeds is the dominant phenotype- genotype is homozygous dominant RR or heterozygous Rr.
Wrinkled seeds is recessive- genotype is homozygous recessive rr.
Gene notation for round peas
Homozygote- RR
Heterozygote- Dominant allele listed first Rr
Dominant- Capital letters RR
Recessive- small letters rr
Gene notation for vestigial winged flies
Homozygote- +/+ vg/vg
Heterozygote- dominant allele listed first +/vg
+ indicates wildtype, not dominance.
Most of the time wildtype will be dominant.
Mendel’s conclusions II- modern terminology
Alternative versions of genes (different alleles) account for variation in inherited chracteristics.
Diploid organisms inherit two alleles, one from each parent.
If two alleles are different, one may be dominant.
Each haploid gamete carries only one allele of a given trait because they segregate from one during meiosis.
The First Mendelian Law
Law of segregation
Law of segregation
Alleles of a gene separate independently (randomly) from each other during transmission from parent to offspring (=meiosis).
The dominant phenotype appears at 100% in the F1 (hybrid genotype).
The phenotypic frequencies in F2 conforms to: 3:1 (dominant:recessive)
How can you determine the genotype of an unknown?
Test cross
The frequency of the hybrid recessive allele=
Frequency of the recessive Phenotype
The Frequency of the hybrid dominant allele=
Frequency of the dominant phenotype
In a Mendelian cross, the F1 generation
Will consist exclusively of heterozygotes displaying the dominant phenotype for the allele combination in the locus in being examined.
F2 Generations shows
Shows the outcome of the segregation of alleles in the F1 Gametes.
F2 will show all of the possible phenotypes.
9:3:3:1
Phenotypic proportions in F2 of a dihybrid cross.
9(double dominance)
3(single dominance)
3(single dominance)
1(recessive)
Parental phenotypes
Phenotypes seen in P0
Recombinant Phenotypes
Phenotypes not seen in parents or F1
The Second Mendelian Law
Law of Independent Assortment.
Simply the first law applied to alleles of two or more genes: simply multiplying the monohybrid ratios.
Applies not only to dihybrid crosses, but for any number of genes.
Law of Independent Assortment
Alleles of two (or more) genes (loci) segregate independently during transmission from parent to offspring.
The two dominant phenotypes appear at 100% in the F1 (hybrid genotype).
In F2, 4 phenotypes are present.
The expected F2 frequency for phenotypes generated by alleles of two loci is: 9:3:3:1 (double dominant:dominant recessive:recessive dominant:double recessive
In the F2, 4 phenotypes are present:
Two parental phenotypes present in the P0 generation.
Two new phenotypes (recombinants) absent from P0 or F1.
Does the arrangement of alleles in the P0 affect the F1?
no
Does the arrangement of alleles in the P0 affect the F2?
no
Hypothesis
an idea to test
Data
Collection of observations or experimental data specifically planned to test the hypothesis
The Chi-Square (X^2) test
Tests whether the sample collected (peas counted) can be used to support a hypothesis. (expected mendelian ratio).
Often this will test against the hypothesis (null hypothesis)
Null Hypothesis
There is no difference between the observed phenotypic ratio and the expected ratio.
Steps for Chi-square test
1: do the experiment and count the observed numbers.
2:predict expected numbers based on hypothesis.
3: calculate how well the data fit our hypothesis.
4: determine the degrees of freedom.
5: accept or reject our hypothesis. Compare your X2 to the critical value. Compare P-value to significance level.
Expected number
Total # offspring counted x expected frequency
X2
=Sum (observed-expected)^2/expected
Degrees of freedom (df)
Number of phenotypic classes e.g. 4-1
A measure of how many ‘types’ of data are being used relative to how much information you are trying to learn.
Bigger df means your results are more likely to be representative.
X2<critical
not significant
Reject null hypothesis
There is a significant difference between the observed phenotypic ratio and the expected ratio.
The Multiplicative Rule
If the events A and B are independent, the probability that they will occur together, P(A and B) is: P(A) x P(B)=
The Additive Rule
If the events A and B are independent, the probability that only one of them occurs, denoted P(A or B), is: P(A)+P(B)- [P(A) xP(B)]
If the two events do not overlap in the sample space, they are said to be mutually exclusive.
Mendel’s Law create predictions
If alleles segregate at random during gamete formation, and fertilization is also random, offspring ratios should follow rules of probability.
probability of two independent events happening together (A and B)
Probability of 1st event multiplied by the probability of the 2nd event.
P(A) x P(B)
Probability of a particular genotype (in offspring)(Y and y)
Probability of obtaining a particular allele in the male gamete X probability of obtaining a particular allele in the female gamete.
P(Y) x P(y)
Human genome
23 pairs of chromosomes (2n=46)
22 pairs of autosomes (homologous chromosomal pairs); expected diploid mendelian inheritance.
1 pair of sex chromosomes (X and Y), which are not allele; causes very different inheritance patterns (non-mendelian)
Obstacles to Human Genetic Analysis
Incomplete family records
Small number of progeny
Uncontrolled environment- eg Phenotypic plasticity
mendelian Principles in human genetics
Wildtype=normal=healthy
Affected=Diseased=mutant
Not all low frequency human alleles are bad- i.e. red hair.
This is not a judgement on the condition
These terms are relative to the majority of humans
Pedigrees
Are diagrams that show the relationships among the members of a family.
They represent the inheritance pattern of a specific character/condition
Pedigree analysis predicts genotypes
Parents aren’t affected so trait must be recessive.
Homozygous would be mean affected parents.
Parents are heterozygous
Inheritance of a Recessive Trait
Recessive traits may occur in individual whose parents are not affected. (not true for dominant traits, ‘skipping’ generations)
Recessive traits often occur rarely in a pedigree.
Recessive allele hidden in heterozygotes.(‘carrier’ notation)
Rare recessive traits are most likely to appear in a pedigree when spouses are related to each other.
Recessive Mutations
Most common causes of human genetic diseases.
Individuals with the disease are homozygous for the recessive allele.
Recessive alleles usually lack function= NULL (illegible DNA ‘instructions’, fail to make a product/protein- or make a non-functional product)
Interpretation of pedigrees
often a pedigree is consistent with only a particular mode of inheritance (dominant or recessive).
Rules for interpretation of pedigrees
dominant trait- unaffected parents can’t have an affected child.
recessive trait- unaffected parents can have an affected child
Guidelines of interpretation of pedigrees
Dominant trait- tends to appear in every generation
Recessive trait- tends to skip generations.
If a genetic condition is rare
It will be present in very few families in a population.
Unaffected individuals that marry into the family with the conditions, are likely homozygous for the normal allele rather than heterozygous.
Human Example: Albinism
recessive
Albinism- deficient pigmentation- inability to produce melanin (most often due to lack of active tyrosinase)
A= normal allele- active tyrosinase
a=mutant allele- inactive tyrosinase
A/A=makes tyrosinase- melanin
a/a= no active tyrosinase-no melanin- albine
A/a=same phenotype as A/A genotype; one A allele is sufficient to produce adequate melanin
Cystic Fibrosis
A common human recessive disease.
Serious disease caused by a nonfunctional CFTR gene. (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator)
Defective Cl transport causes thick mucus to build up in lungs.
1 in 2500 affected among Caucasians.
Individuals who have the disease (cc) rarely reproduce, but heterozygous carriers are common among Caucasians (1:20)
Recessive
Autosomal Dominant Traits
Are caused by a mutant allele that is dominant over the normal allele.
Such mutations are not as common as recessive, lack-of-function mutations.
Inheritance of a dominant trait
Every individual who carries the dominant allele manifests the trait. (unaffected individuals (dd) cannot be carriers)
Every affected individual is expected to have at least one affected parent. (the trait tends to show up in every generation).
If both parents are heterozygotes (Dd), they will be affected, but they can have normal children.
Cystic Fibrosis Probability
Cc x Cc= 1/4 probability of CC (unaffected), 1/2 probability of Cc (unaffected), 1/4 probability of cc (affected)
Autosomal Dominant Traits- Due to
Production of too much of a normal protein.
One functional copy of a gene does not make enough gene product.
Production of abnormal variant of a protein that interacts incorrectly with the normal protein or with some other structure in the cell.
Production of protein with some entirely new function or normal function in new place (gain-of function)
Determine Likely inheritance
By exclusion: is it recessive? When a trait is rare, you assume other families do not cary it. Can’t be recessive.
Is it dominant? Yes appears in every generation.
Is it sex linked? no, equally in males and females.
Achondroplasia
A dominant form of dwarfism.
Wild type gene (d) encodes a fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR-3), regulates chondrocyte proliferation and long bone growth.
Mutant allele (D) produces to much FGFR-3 which causes reduced growth of long bones.
Achondroplasia Genotypes
Dd genotype- dwarfism phenotype
dd genotype- normal bone growth
DD- lethal
Chromosome
Single strand of DNA in the nucleus
Chromatid
1/2 of replicated chromosome, attached together at the centromere in X shape
Sister Chromatids
Identical copies (diploid)
Same genes in same order
Same alleles in same order
Homologous chromosomes
Same chromosomes from different parents.
Same genes in same order
Homozygous- same alleles in same order
Heterozygous- different alleles in same order