PHRM 824 Exam 5 Flashcards
Define autosomal dominant
- a single mutant allele from an affected parent is transmitted to an offspring regardless of sex
- 50% chance of passing the trait to each child
- unaffected relatives/siblings do not transmit the disorder
- in many conditions, the age of onset is delayed, and the signs and symptoms of the disorder do no appear until later in life
List an example of an autosomal dominant disorder:
Huntington disease: neurogenerative disorder
Define autosomal recessive
- autosomal recessive disorders are manifested only when both members of the gene pair are affected (homozygous)
- same probability for males and females
- all children of an affected parent are carriers
- age of onset is early in life
- symptoms are more uniform
List an example of an autosomal recessive disorder
Cystic Fibrosis - causes lung and pancreatic disease
Sickle cell disease - red blood cell defect
Tay-Sachs - severe mental and physical deterioration beginning in infancy
List an example of an x-linked recessive disorder.
Hemophilia A – joint bleeding, muscle hematoma, soft tissue bleeding
Define x-linked recessive
- 50% chance of passing the gene to their sons and daughters
- daughters are unaffected
- males who receive the gene are affected
- affected males pass the mutant to all daughters, but not to sons
Define penetrance
- a 50% penetrance indicates that a person who inherits the defective gene has a 50% chance of expressing the disorder.
Define expressivity
- mutations in a gene can give rise to different outcomes in different people
- ranges from complete to minimal
- affected by: other genes, exposure to harmful chemicals or conditions, environment, age
What is a genetic variant?
- a change in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene
How are genetic variants categorized?
- pathogenic
- likely pathogenic
- uncertain significance
- likely benign
- benign
Define pathogenic variants
- responsible for causing disease
- well supported by scientific research
- often referred to as mutations
Define likely pathogenic variants
- probably responsible for causing disease
- not enough scientific research to be sure
Define uncertain significance variants
- not confirmed to cause disease
- not enough scientific research
Define likely benign variants
- probably not responsible for causing disease
- not enough scientific research to be sure
Define benign variants
- not responsible for causing disease
- strong scientific research to rule out link to disease
Define likely benign variants
- probably not responsible for causing disease
- not enough scientific research to be sure
How do genetic variants relate to mutations?
- mutations lead to variants
What is a silent mutation?
- has no effect
What is a nonsense mutation?
- type of substitution variant in which a single nucleotide is replaced to where the sequence now codes for a stop codon in the incorrect place
- shortening of the protein
What are the three types of mutations that cause autosomal dominant disorders?
What is a missense mutation?
- type of substitution variant in which a single nucleotide is replaced
- results in an incorrect amino acid in the protein product – may be malfunctioning