genetics - inheritance Flashcards
what is the genotype
all the genes an organism contains
what is the phenotype
the observable characteristics of an organism as a result of the genotype plus the effect of the environment
what is a gene
a section of chromosome carrying the code for a specific polypeptide
what is the locus
The position of a gene on a chromosome
what is an allele
different forms of the same gene
what is homozygous / pure breeding
having two identical alleles at a gene locus
what is heterozygous
having two different alleles at a gene locus
what is the dominant allele
an allele which only needs to be present once in the genotype to be shown in the phenotype
what is a recessive allele
an allele which must be present twice in the genotype to be shown in the phenotype
what are codominant alleles
alleles which contribute equally to the phenotype
what are multiple alleles
presence of more than two alleles at a given gene locus
what are sex-linked alleles
alleles which are found on either the X or Y chromosomes
what is monohybrid inheritance
inheritance pattern of a single gene
give an example of codominance
A good example of codominance can be seen in human blood types
The gene for blood types is represented in the genotype by I and the three alleles for human blood types are represented by A, B and O
Allele A results in blood type A (IAIA or IAIO) and allele B results in blood type B (IBIB or IBIO)
If both allele A and allele B are present in a heterozygous individual they will have blood type AB (IAIB)
Blood type O (IOIO) is recessive to both group A and group B alleles often 2:1:1 ratio
what is the standard mendelian monohybrid ratio
3:1
what did Mendel discover
Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) was a 19th century monk who studied the inheritance of traits in pea plants and is known as the Father of Genetics
that genes were separated and then came back together upon fertilisation
what can be used to predict monohybrid inheritance
Genetic diagrams are often used to present this information in a clear and precise manner so that predictions can be made
These diagrams include a characteristic table called a Punnett square
what is important to remember for genetic crosses in terms of offspring form different fertilisation events
The predicted genotypes that genetic diagrams produce are all based on chance
There is no way to predict which gametes will fuse so sometimes the observed or real-life results can differ from the predictions
so each event is new ratio
give an example of a genetic cross
One of the genes for the coat colour of horses has the following two alleles:
B, a dominant allele produces a black coat when present
b, a recessive allele produces a chestnut coat when present in a homozygous individual
In this example a heterozygous male is crossed with heterozygous female
Parental phenotype: black coat x black coat
Parental genotype: Bb Bb
Parental gametes: B or b B or b
then place in punnet square - make sure to put circles around everything
Predicted ratio of phenotypes in offspring – 3 black coat : 1 chestnut coat
Predicted ratio of genotypes in offspring – 1 BB : 2 Bb : 1 bb
multiple alleles genetic cross- standard notation
results in more than one phenotype
C then subcase dominant / recessive
where are the sex-linked genes located
sex chromosomes X and Y
what is homogametic sex
all gametes produced carry an X chromosome
what is heterogametic sex
can produce gametes with an X chromosome or a Y chromosome
how is sex linkage notated
Sex linkage is notated using a capital letter to represent the chromosome X or Y and a superscript letter to represent the allele
NOTHING ON THE Y
what are the genotypes for a female
3
.g. for a genetic trait caused by a recessive allele
XAXA = unaffected
XAXa = carrier
XaXa = affected
what are the genotypes for a male
2
XAY = unaffected
XaY = affected
Males can’t be carriers of x-linked traits, nor for them to pass such traits on to their sons; males only pass y chromosomes on to their sons