Genetics 1 Flashcards
Why have genetic factors become more important in determining the patterns of diseases?
we have experienced improved sanitation, nutrition, public health, and treatments
What are some difficulties in determining the prevalence of genetic disorders in populations?
- some disorders are more common in certain ethnic groups or in certain locations
- some recessively inherited disorders are more common in populations with a history of isolation and consanguineous matings
- some diseases that are genetically determined or influenced (cancer, alzheimers, CVD) are usually not manifested until later in life (delayed penetrance)
Are all mutations harmful? When do most mutations occur? What mutation are passed to the next generation?
- can be harmful causing a disease
- can be beneficial leading to adaptation and evolution
- can be neutral
- most occur during mitosis (somatic) or meiosis (germ)
- mutation in germ cells are passed on
- mutation is the source of all genetic variation, good or bad
What mutations does natural selection favor?
favors mutations that are beneficial while decreasing the prevalence of harmful mutations that make successful reproduction less likely
What genes are more likely to be mutated? why? example?
- large genes because they have more DNA
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by mutation to Dystrophin gene, 2.3 Mb of DNA, all cases are due to new mutations
What is the expected result of mitosis? whats involved? is genetic material exchanged between chromosomes?
- 2 daughter cells with same genetic makeup as parent cell
- 2 copies of each autosomal chromosome- diploid 2n
- involves DNA replication and random segregation of chromosomes to daughter cells
- no exchange of material, no cross over
What are the phases of mitosis?
Interphase Prophase Pro metaphase Metaphase Anaphase Telophase Cytokinesis
What is the chromosome and DNA content in Interphase? What does N and C mean?
- 2N chromosome content (2 X 23 = 46 chromosomes), diploid
- 2C DNA content= amount of DNA included in 23 haploid chromosomes
In S phase, prior to prophase, what happens? What is the chromosome and DNA content?
- DNA is replicated to generate two identical copies of each of the 46 chromosomes
- 2N chromosome and 4C DNA
After mitosis, who is the chromosome and DNA content?
- 2N chromosome
- 2C DNA
What happens in metaphase? What are sister chromatids? What holds them together?
- sister chromatids are condensed and lined up in the center of the cell
- sister chromatids= two copies of replicated chromosomes held together by centromeres
What can be studied by cytogenetics? in what phase?
-one can study the material for karyotyping in metaphase
Where are cells most commonly obtained for karyotyping?
from circulating lymphocytes
Describe the process of karyotyping?
- blood sample is added to a nutrient medium that contain phytohemagluttinin which stimulates T cells to divide
- cells are maintained in this medium for about 3 days
- colchicine is added which causes arrest of the cell cycle in metaphase
- hypotonic saline causes the RBCs to lyse and chromosomes to spread
- cells are fixed onto a slide, then treated with trypsin and stained
What is G banding?
- Giemsa staining
- most commonly used to stain cells in karyotyping
- gives reproducible light and dark bands
What is the most common clinical indications for chromosome analysis?
newborn with multiple congenital malformations or a child with developmental delay
What is an ideogram used for?
the banding pattern of each chromosome is specific and can be shown in a stylized ideal karyotype
What can a karyotype detect?
- changes in chromosome number
- large insertions or deletions (indels)
What is a normal male karyotype?
- 22 pairs of autosomes
- one X and one Y chromosome (Females XX)
What is fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH)? What is the process? What is detected?
- combines conventional cytogenetics with molecular genetic technology
- single stranded DNA probe is labeled with fluorochrome and allowed to anneal with its complement DNA
- chromosome specific unique sequence probes can detect micro deletions
- series of probes can paint a particular chromosome to detect complex rearrangements
What are the stable ends of chromosomes?
telomeres
What does the centromere region consist of? Function?
- constricted region where the kinetochores form and spindle microtubules attach
- these are used in metaphase to line up in the middle and then they are pulled apart
The centromere divides chromosomes into what?
long arm (q) and short arm (p)
What chromosomes are acrocentric? What do the short arms consist of? What is the structure of the short arms?
- 13, 14, 15, 21, 22
- consist of genes encoding ribosomal RNA
- regions are decondensed and form stalks with knobs at the ends called satellites
What are the genetic consequences of meiosis?
- reduction of chromosome number from diploid to haploid
- segregation of alleles in meiosis 1
- shuffling of genetic material by random assortment of homologues- law of independent assortment
- recombination between homologues (cross over) to increase genetic diversity
What is the purpose of meiosis?
to reduce the number of chromosomes in gametes (egg and sperm) to haploid 1N, so egg and sperm can combine to form diploid zygotes containing genetic material from both mother and father
What are the phases of meiosis?
- meiotic S phase
- meiosis I and II- chromosome segregation
-have the same phases as mitosis within meiosis I and II
What is the chromosome and DNA content at the end of meiotic S phase? end of meiosis I? meiosis II?
S phase- 2N, 4C
meiosis I- 1N, 2C haploid (2)
meiosis II- 1N, 1C haploid gametes (4)
What is the purpose of meiosis I?
segregate the two homologues (maternal and paternal), which are in the form of sister chromatids
-meiosis 1- reduction division stage
What are the diploid cells at the beginning of meiosis I?
females- oogonia
males-spermatogonia
In males, in meiosis I, how are the cytoplasm and cell divided?
- cytoplasm is divided evenly during cytokinesis
- two cells (spermatids, secondary spermatocytes) of the same size are produced
In females, in meiosis II, how are the cytoplasm and cell divided?
- most of cytoplasm goes to one of the cells, which becomes the egg (oocyte)
- other cell becomes a smaller, non functioning cell called a polar body which gradually degenerates
What happens in prophase I of meiosis?
-homologous chromosomes are paired and the chromatids of the two chromosomes intertwine (chiasma)
What are chiasmata (chiasma)? How many can form? How many recombination events per meiosis per gamete?
- points at which the chromosomes exchange genetic material by crossing over, process involving recombination
- multiple can form, usually 1 on small, 2 on medium, and 3 on large chromosomes
- 49 recombination events
When does the segregation of homologues occur in meiosis I?
anaphase I
When does the segregation of sister chromatids occur in meiosis II?
anaphase II
What causes genetic diversity in meiosis?
- recombination between homologous chromosomes in prophase I causes crossing over and exchange of genetic material
- genetic makeup is different in each of the 4 gametes
- resulting cells have one copy of each autosomal chromosome = haploid (1N, 1C)
What is the purpose of meiosis II? End result in males? females?
- no replication of DNA
- only segregation of sister chromatids to make 4 haploid cells
- males- 4 functional daughter cells
- females- cytoplasm is distributed mostly to one cell which becomes the egg, and polar body
Describe oogenesis? in embryonic life?
- oogonia are derived from primordial germ cells by a process that involves 20-30 mitotic divisions that occur the first few months of embryonic life
- in the first 3 months of embryonic life, the oogonia begin to mature into primary oocytes, which start to undergo meiosis
- primary oocytes are suspended in meiosis I in female fetus and do no complete meiosis I and II until ovulation, when a single secondary oocyte is formed
- this oocyte can be fertilized to form a zygote
Describe spermatogenesis? how long?
- takes 60-65 days
- entering puberty, spermatogonia have undergone about 30 mitotic divisions to become primary spermatocytes
- these become secondary spermatocytes following meiosis I and spermatids after meiosis II
- spermatids develop without further division into spermatozoa
What does increased parent age cause in the offspring?
increased likelihood of genetic conditions in offspring, different kinds
What is increased maternal age associated with? why?
- increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities due to non disjunction or problems with the separation of chromosomes in meiosis I or II
- related to the length of time the primary oocytes remain suspended in meiosis I until ovulation
When does the risk of aneuploidy increase?
increases sharply with maternal age after about 35 years
What is increased paternal age associated with? why?
- increased risk of certain single gene disorders
- due to problems occurring in mitosis
- probably due to large number of cell divisions undergone by primary spermatocytes from puberty throughout adult life
- 35 year old man, these cells have undergone 540 divisions
What happens if mutations occur in individual somatic cells? Early in development?
- can contribute to cancer or lack of function of the cells or tissues in which they occur
- early on, many tissues and organs derived from that cells might be affected
Germline mosaicism?
- if a mutation occurs during embryonic development that affects all or some of the germline, but few or no somatic cells
- this person is not affected by any genetic condition, but can pass the mutation to multiple offspring
- reccurrence risk is difficult to calculate
All females are mosaic for the _______.
X chromosome
The lyon hypothesis (lyonization)?
one randomly selected X chromosomes is inactivated in each cell early in embryonic development (15-16 days of gestation)
Dosage compensation?
ensures that females produce X linked gene products in amounts similar to males
Barr bodies?
very dense chromatin of the inactivated X chromosome
Mechanism of X chromosome inactivation (lyonization)? why do genes at the tip of the short arm remain active
- the X inactivation center (XIC) is located near the middle of the X chromosome
- it contains a gene that produces a non coding RNA, called XIST
- XIST is expressed only from the inactive X
- XIST binds to DNA along the X chromosome, spreading from the XIC outward
- spreading of XIST along the chromosome correlates with the spread of DNA methylation, heterochromatin formation and gene silencing
- genes at tip of short arm remain active:
- pseudo autosomal region
- homologous to distal short arm of Y chromosome
- same gene dosage in males and females
Why do calico cats display the color that they do?
- gene encoding fur color is located on the X chromosome in cats
- female cats that are heterozygous(one black allele, one orange) are mosaics and display the calico trait
What are types of genetic disease:
chromosomal abnormalities?
Mendelian patterns of inheritance?
Non mendelian patterns?
Chromosomal:
- numerical
- structural
Mendelian:
- autosomal dominant
- autosomal recessive
- X linked
- codominant
Non mendelian
- anticipation
- mitochondrial
- multifactorial
What is a euploid?
- cell that has a multiple of 23 chromosomes
- haploid gametes and diploid somatic cells are euploid
polyploid?
- cell that has complete set of extra chromosomes (still euploid)
- triploidy
- tetraploidy
Triploidy? causes?
- 69 XXX
- one of most common causes of miscarriage in first two trimesters
- disomy (fertilization of one egg by two sperm) is most common cause
Tetraploidy?
92 XXXX
-recorded in a only a few live births
Aneuploid?
cell that has addition or deletion of individual chromosomes, usually only one
Monosomy?
- presence of only one copy of a particular chromosome in an otherwise diploid cell
- almost always incompatible with life, only a few live births observed
Trisomy?
- presence of three copies of one chromosome
- more common in live births
Why is trisomy more common in live births than monosomy?
-excess genetic material is more easily tolerated than a deficiency of genetic material
What most often causes aneuploidy?
non disjunction
-most common in trisomy
What is nondisjunction? Result? resulting zygote?
- two members of a chromosome pair fail to disjoin during meiosis I or two chromatids fail to disjoin in meiosis II
- resulting gamete either lacks a chromosome or has an extra one
- on fertilization, they zygotes are either monosomic or trisomic
Error (nondisjunction) in meiosis I?
- gamete has both homologs of one chromosome pair
- upon fertilization, 2 possible zygotes will be trisomic and 2 will be monosomic
Error (nondisjunction) in meiosis II?
- gamete has two copies of one of the homologs of the chromosome pair
- upon fertilization, 1 possible zygote will be trisomic, 1 is monosomic, and 2 are normal
Is nondisjunction in meiosis more common in the mother or father?
- more common in mother
- increases with age