Inheritance Patterns Flashcards
What are the 3 principles of genetics?
Segregation
Dominance
Independent assortment
What is meant by independent assortment?
Every gene has 2 alleles that code for a trait.
In heterozygotes, one allele is dominant meaning it will always show, one is recessive and is masked by the dominant allele
What is meant by segregation?
Allele pairs separate/segregate randomly from each other during meiosis each cell has a single allele for each trait
What is meant by independent assortment?
Traits are transmitted to offspring independently of one another
What is Mendelian inheritance?
Autosomal and sex-linked
Dominant and recessive
What is non-mendelian inheritance?
Imprinting
Mitochondrial inheritance
Multifactorial
(Mosaicism)
What are the categories of genetic disorders?
Chromosome abnormalities
Single gene disorders
Multi-factorial and polygenic disorders e.g. spina bifida, cleft lip and palate
What is a autosome?
Any chromosome, other than the sex chromosomes (X or Y), that occurs in pairs in diploid cells
What is meant by recessive?
Manifest only in homozygotes
What is an allele?
One or more alternative forms of a gene at a given location (locus)
What is meant by homozygous?
Presence of identical alleles at a given locus
Homozygotes are affected
What is meant by heterozygous?
Presence of two different alleles at a given locus
Heterozygotes are unaffected and are usually referred to as carriers
What is meant by allelic heterogeneity?
The situation where different mutations within the same gene result in the same clinical condition e.g. cystic fibrosis. Thus an individual with an autosomal recessive condition may be a compound heterozygote for two different mutations
What are features of autosomal recessive inheritance?
Typical features:
•Male and females affected in equal proportions
•Affected individuals only in a single generation
•Parents can be related, i.e. consanguineous
What is cysticfibrosis?
Chronic condition affecting mainly lungs and gut, variable presentation, can affect other systems