Genetics
Genetics
Genetics
In the XY sex-determination system, females have two of the same kind of sex chromosome (XX),
while males have two distinct sex chromosomes (XY). Some species (including humans) have a gene
SRY on the Y chromosome that determines maleness; others (such as the fruit fly) use the presence of
two X chromosomes to determine femaleness. The XY sex chromosomes are different in shape and size
from each other unlike the autosomes, and are termed allosomes.
X linked disorders:
1.>>
X-linked conditions usually affect only males. A mutation causing a condition can be passed in the
family through female carriers who do not have the condition. However, each son of a female carrier
has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation and, therefore, of having the condition.
?X-linked? genes are genes that are found on the X chromosome. ?Recessive? means that a person can
have the condition only if he or she does not have at least one usual copy of the gene.
A female has two X chromosomes and, therefore, two copies of each X-linked gene. A woman who has
one usual copy and one copy with a recessive mutation is called a carrier. She does not have the
condition, but can pass the copy with the recessive mutation on to her children.
A male has only one copy of the X chromosome, which he has gotten from his mother. If the copy that
he gets is the copy with the recessive mutation, he will have the condition because he does not have a
usual copy of the gene. If he gets his mother?s X chromosome that has the usual copy of the gene, he
will not have the condition. Therefore, a son of a carrier mother has a 50% chance of having the
condition. A male who has the condition passes his X chromosome to each of his daughters, so each
daughter will be a carrier. A male with the condition passes his Y chromosome to each of his sons, so
none of his sons will have the condition or be carriers (unless the mother is also a carrier).
Many X-linked conditions are truly recessive. That is, males who have a mutation in a gene on the X
chromosome have the condition and women who have a copy of the changed gene are carriers and are
not affected. However, researchers are finding out that many X-linked conditions are more complex
than once thought. ex.:some women who are carriers of Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy
(DBMD) (Causes of DBMD - DBMD mutation in females) have symptoms such as muscle weakness
and heart problems. Carriers for FXS can also have health problems (What health problems can affect
people who have a fragile X premutation?) related to having a fragile X gene change. The way that FX
is inherited (How does FXS run in families?) is more complex than typical X-linked inheritance.
2....
3...-autism Spectrum disorders (ASDs)
Y linked disorders
Pedigree chart, a document to record ancestry, used by genealogists in study of human family
lines, and in selective breeding of animals