Genetics Flashcards
What is the usual distribution pattern of an autosomal dominant condition
- one copy is enough to cause the disease
- is often present in every generation and shows a vertical pattern
- you can check there is male to male transmission as this rules out the possibility of it being x-linked
example of autosomal dominant inheritance
achondraplaisa
- inherited breast or colon cancer
- APKD
- NF1
- HD
variable expressivity and complete and incomplete penetrance in autosomal dominant conditions
variable expressivity = effects people to different extents even with the same genotype
complete penetrance = they always get the disorder if they have the faulty gene
incomplete penetrance = sometimes dont get the disorder despite having the faulty gene
gonadal mosaicism
gonads can often carry more than one copy of the mutated gene on sperm/eggs
Autosomal recessive
requires two faulty copies of the gene to cause disease, if one copy the individual becomes a carrier
- often shows a horizontal pattern -a prime examples of this is sickle cell disease
- both males and females effected
examples of AR conditions
- cystic fibrosis
- PKU
- spinal muscular atrophy
- congenital adrenal hyperplasia but NOT HYPO
- Wilsons disease
- tay-sacks disease
X-linked recessive inheritance
effects boys more than girls as they can compensate with their other x-chromosome
- knights move pattern NO MALE TO MALE
- occasional manifesting female carriers due to skewed x-inactivation
compound heterozygosity
the presence of two different mutated alleles at a particular gene locus
example of x-linked recessive
duchess muscular dystrophy
expected proportions of offspring of a female heterozygote for an x-linked recessive condition
50% of sons effected
50% daughters are carriers
expected proportions of offspring of a male heterozygote for an x-linked recessive condition
none of his sons effected as boys get their X chromosome from their mother but all his daughters are carriers
X-linked dominant inheritance
vitamin D resistant rickets
looks like AD but no male to male transmission
other examples:
- incontinentia rickets
- rett syndrome
genetic anticipation
- increasing severity and earlier age on onset in successive generations
in:
- HD
- Fragile x syndrome
- myotonic dystrophy
mitochondrial inheritance
- smaller genome
- circular
- 37 genes with no introns
inherited inly from the mother but can be to variable extents
syndromes often affect muscle, brain and eyes
LEIGHS DISEASE
how do you detect point mutations
DNA sequencing
- Sanger sequencing which analyses one gene at a time
- Next generation sequencing which can do all or many genes at once
Allele-specific (ARMS) PCR
- special PCR that analyses only specific known point mutations
how do you test for the detection of sub-microscopic duplications and deletions
MLPA = PCR method which targets a small group of specific known positions - chromosomal loci where there might be a deletion
Chromosomal microarray (CMA) = this is genome wide.
How do you rapidly detect aneuploidies
this is searching for an abnormal number of chromosomes that is not a multiple of 23 such as trisomy 18
done by quantitative fluorescent PCR (QF-PCR)
old chromosome-based analysis methods
karyotyping which uses a microscope at 4 million base pairs
FISH uses a specific DNA probe that binds to one specific location on a chromosome, so you need to know what location you want to look at
whole chromosome analysis
Karyotyping
QF-PCR
Sub-microscopic deletions and duplications
FISH
MLPA - if you know the position
Chromosomal micro-array if you dont
point mutations
DNA sequencing or ARMS
NGS method
illumina method
- hundreds of millions of DNA fragments sequenced at once
- on a “flow cell”
huntingtons disease
onset between 30 and 50
progressive chorea, dementia and psychiatric symptoms
AD with genetic anticipation
caused by a CAG repeat unit within the coding sequence which encodes a polyglutamine tract and this expansion causes insoluble protein aggregates and neurotoxicity
myotonic dystrophy
AD also with genetic anticipation
- progressive muscle weakness in early adulthood
- can also result in myotonia and cataracts
unstable mutation of a CTG repeat
- abnormal DMPK mRNA which has an indirect toxic effect upon splicing of other genes e.g. the chloride ion channel CLCN1 gene which causes myotonia