Mendelian Genetics & Inheritance Flashcards
Character definition
Heritable feature that varies among individuals (ex. Flower color)
Trait definition
Each variant of a character (ex. Purple flower color)
What kind of plants did Mendel use when working in pea plant varieties?
Hybridized true breeding plants (P generation) he created from PERFECT self-fertilizing plants
produces dihybrids in F1 generation
What is a true breeding plant
Plants that have produced ONLY the same variety (homozygous)
Law of Segregation
Alleles segregate randomly into gametes
Homologous chromosomes segregate during meiosis
Blending Inheritance
The average of parents traits
Particulate Inheritance
Traits inherited as genes
What are the names of the different generations?
- Parental Generation produces…
- F1 (filial) Generation (self-pollinates —> sexual reproduction)
- F2 Generation
Law of Independent Assortment
Each pair is sorted independently from other pairs during meiosis
Non-homologous chromosomes assort independently during meiosis
Complete dominance
When phenotype of the heterozygous are identical (dominant allele is expressed)
Incomplete dominance
One allele doesn’t fully dominate
50% enzyme activity
(Ex. Red and white flowers produce PINK flowers)
Pleitrophy
Genes have multiple phenotypic effects (ex. Hereditary disease like sickle cell disease)
Epistasis
Phenotypic traits determined by two or more genes (typical ratio is 9:3:3:1)
Polygenic Inheritance
Additive effect of 2 or more genes of a phenotypic trait (ex. Skin pigmentation is determined by 378 genes)
Multiple Alleles affecting phenotype:
ABO Blood Groups
-Possible alleles: IA, IB, i
-Possible blood types:
1. A (IA IA/IA i)
2. AB (IA IB)
3. B (IB IB/IB i)
4. O (i i)
Family pedigree
Tree describing traits of parents & children across generations
Cause of Recessively Inherited Disorders
Alleles codes for a malfunctioning protein or NO protein
Which genotype does recessively inherited disorder show up?
Recessive homozygous (aa)
if it’s not expressed, heterozygous (Aa) genotype is a carrier (ex. Ablinism)
What increases the chance of a recessively inherited disorder?
Because it is a rare disease allele, it is uncommon that two carriers will meet and mate SO The closer in relation the parents are
Dominantly inherited Disorders
Disorders due to dominant alleles (ex. Dwarfism)
Lethal dominant allele
Causes death before individual can mature and reproduce so often, the dominant allele is not passed down
-the allele causing disease may show up AFTER reproduction so it is passed down to children (ex. Huntington’s disease appears at 35-45 yrs)
Multi factorial Disorders
Genetic component and significant environmental influence (ex. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, alcoholism, etc.)
the hereditary component of these disorders are polygenic (affected by multiple genes)
X-linked genes are passed down to ___ by mothers and passed down to ___ by fathers
- Daughters and sons (more males than females have x-linked recessive disorders)
- Daughters only
Dominant allele
The allele that is fully expressed in the phenotype of a heterozygote.