Genetics Flashcards
Variable expressivity
Phenotype varies among individuals with same genotype
Ex: 2 pts with neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) may have varying disease severity
Incomplete penetrance
Not all individuals with a mutant genotype show the mutant phenotype
Ex: BRCA1 gene mutations do not always result in breast or ovarian cancer
Pleiotropy
One gene contributes to multiple phenotypic effect Untreated phenylketonuria (PKU) manifests with light skin, intellectual disability, and musty body odor
Anticipation
Increased severity or earlier onset of disease in succeeding generations
Trinucleotide repeat disease (e.g. Huntington disease)
Loss of heterozygosity
If a pt inherits or develops a mutation in a tumor suppressor gene, the complementary allele must be deleted/mutated before cancer develops. This is not true of oncogenesis
Retinoblastoma and the “two-hit hypothesis”, Lynch syndrome (HNPCC), Li-Fraumeni syndrome
Dominant Negative Mutation
Exerts a dominant effect. A heterozygote produces a nonfunctional altered protein that also prevents the normal gene product from functioning
Ex: mutation of a transcription factor in its allosteric site. Nonfunctioning mutation can still bind DNA, preventing wild-type TF from binding
Linkage disequilibrium
Tendency for certain alleles at 2 linked loci to occur together more or les often than expected by chance. Measures in a population, not a family, and often varies in different populations
Mosaicism
Presence of genetically distinct cell lines in the same individual
Somatic mosaicism
Mutation arises from mitotic errors after fertilization and propagates through multiple tissues or organs
Gonadal mosaicism
Mutation only in egg or sperm cells
McCume-Albright syndrome
Due to mutation affecting G-protein signaling.
Presents with cafe-au-lait spots, polyostoic fibrous dysplasia, precocious puberty, multiple endocrine abnormalities
Lethal if mutation occurs before fertilization (affecting all cells) but survivable in pts with mosaicism
Locus heterogeneity
Mutations at different loci can produce a similar phenotype
Ex: albinism
Allelic heterogeneity
Different mutations in the same locus produce the same phenotype
Beta-thalassemia
Heteroplasmy
Presence of both normal and mutated mtDNA, resulting in variable expression in mitochondria lily inherited disease
Uniparental disomy
Offspring receives 2 copies of a chromosome from 1 parent and no copies from the other.
Uniparental is eUploid (correct number of chromosome), not aneuploid. Most occurrences of UPD - normal phenotype
Consider UPD in an individual manifesting a recessive disorder when one parent is a carrier
Heterodisomy
Heterozygous
Indicates a meiosis I error
Isodisomy
Homozygous
Indicates a meiosis II error or post zygotes chromosomal duplication of one of a pair of chromosomes, and loss of the other of the original pair
Codominance
Both alleles contribute to the phenotype of the heterozygote
Ex: blood groups A, B, AB; alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
Hardy-Weinberg population genetics
If population is in equilibrium and if p and q are the frequencies of separate alleles, then:
p2+2pq+q2=1 and p+q=1 which implies that
p2=frequency of homozygousity for allele p
q2=frequency of homozygousity for allele q
2pq=frequency of heterozygosity (carrier frequency if AR disease)
Frequency of an X-linked disease
X-linked recessive
Males=q
Females=q2
Hardy-Weinberg law assumptions
No mutation occurring at the locus
Natural selection is not occurring
Completely random mating
No net migration
Imprinting
At some loci, only one allele is active while the other inactive
Inactivated by methylation
With one allele inactivated, deletion of the active allele = disease
E.g. Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes are due to mutation or deletion of genes on chromosome 15
Prader-Willi syndrome
Maternal imprinting:
Gene from mom is normally silent and Paternal gene is deleted/mutated
Results in hyperphagia, obesity, intellectual disability, hypogonadism, hypotonia
25% cases due to maternal uniparental disomy (two maternally imprinted genes are received and no parental gene)
AngelMan syndrome
Parental imprinting:
Gene from dad is normally silent and Maternal gene is deleted/mutated
Results in inappropriate laughter (happy puppet), seizures, ataxia, and severe intellectual ability
5% cases due to paternal uniparental disomy (two paternally imprinted genes are received and no maternal genes)
Modes of Inheritance: Autosomal Dominant
Often due to defects in structural genes
Many generations, both male and female affected
Often pleiotropic (multiple apparently unrelated effects) and variably expressive (different between individuals). Family history is crucial to diagnosis.
With one affected (heterozygous) parent, on average 1/2 of children will be affected
Modes of Inheritance: Autosomal recessive
Often due to enzyme deficiencies. Usually only seen in one generation
Commonly more severe than dominant disorders; pts often present in childhood
Increased risk in consanguineous families
With two carrier (heterozygous) parents on average 1/4 of children will be affected (homozygous) and 1/2 will be carriers and 1/4 will not be affected
Modes of Inheritance: X-linked recessive
Sons of heterozygous mothers have a 50% chance of being affected. No male-to-male transmission. Skips generations
Commonly more severe in males
Females usually must be homozygous to be affected
Modes of Inheritance: X-linked dominant
Transmitted through both parents. Mothers transmit to 50% of their daughters and sons. Fathers transmit to all daughters but no sons.
E.g. Hypophosphatemic Rickets: VitaminD resistant rickets, inherited disorder resulting in phosphate wasting at PCT. Results in rickets-like presentation
Other examples: Rett syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Alport syndrome
Modes of Inheritance: Mitochondrial inheritance
Transmitted only through the mother. All offspring of affected females may show signs of disease
Variable expression in a population or even within a family due to heteroplasmy
E.g. Mitochondrial myopathies - rare disorders; often present with myopathy, lactic acidosis, and CNS disease (MELAS syndrome)
Secondary to failure in oxidative phosphorylation. Muscle biopsy often shows “ragged red fibers_
Achondroplasia
AD
Mutation of FGFR3 inhibits chondrocyte proliferation. Most common cause of dwarfism; limb length affected more than head or torso size.
Full penetrance
Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney disease
AD
Bilateral massive enlargement of kidneys due to multiple large cysts, 85% of cases are due to mutation in PKD1 (chromosome 16 - 16, letters in polycystic kidney), remainder due to mutation in PKD2 (chromosome 4)
Familial adenomatous polypsis
Colon becomes covered with adenomatous polyps after puberty. Progresses to colon cancer unless colon is resected. Mutations on chromosome 5q (APC gene)
(5 letters in polyp)
Familial hypercholesterolemia
AD
Elevated LDL due to defective or absent LDL receptor. Leads to severe atherosclerotic disease early in life, corneal arcus, tendon xanthomas (classically Achilles)