Chromosomal basis of inheritance Text Chapter 15

Genes and the Environment Environment can alter expression of genes Example: Fruit fly wings Expression of mutation for vestigial wings altered by temp Depending on environment flies with allele for vestigial wings can have close to normal wings Multifactorial: many human conditions are based on both nature and nurture Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, bipolar disorder Penetrance: proportion of individuals with a genotype who show phenotype Example: BRCA1 gene Genes and the Environment

Linked Genes Genes on the same chromosome are called Linked Genes More genes than chromosomes means lots of genes are linked Tend to be inherited together We have 46 linkage groups, one for each chromosome Linked Genes

Sex-linked inheritance Chromosomal basis of sex varies with organism. Humans and other mammals have two varieties of sex chromosomes – X and Y Female = XX Male - XY Other animals have different methods of sex determination Sex-linked inheritance

XY system for sex determination The Y chromosome is much smaller than the X Only relatively short segments at either end of the Y chromosome are homologous with the corresponding regions of the X chromosome. The X and Y rarely cross over XY system for sex determination

Human sex determination Sex is determined at fertilization Anatomical signs of sex first appear when the embryo is about two months old Presence of Y chromosome causes male gonads (testes) to develop. Absence of Y chromosome causes female gonads (ovaries) SYR Gene: Sex-determining region of the Y chromosome Activity of the SRY gene triggers a cascade of biochemical, physiological, and anatomical features because it regulates many other genes Other genes on the Y chromosome are necessary for the production of functional sperm. Human sex determination

In addition to their role in determining sex, the sex chromosomes (especially the X) have genes for many characters unrelated to sex. A gene located on either sex chromosome is called a sex-linked gene In humans this term generally refers to genes on the X chromosome. Sex linked genes

Sex-linked genes (continued) Fathers pass sex-linked alleles to all of their daughters but none to their sons. Mothers pass sex-linked alleles to both sons and daughters If a sex-linked trait is due to a recessive allele, a female will express this phenotype only if she is homozygous. Heterozygous females are carriers for the recessive trait. Because males only have one X chromosome (hemizygous), any mlae receiving the recessive allele from his mother will express the recessive trait. Males are more likely to exhibit sex-linked recessive disorders than are females Sex-linked genes (continued)

Cross-Over and Linkage Mapping The farther apart two genes are on one chromosome, the more likely they will be separated from each other during meiosis because cross-over will happen between them Cross-over and recombination are a major source of genetic variation! The recombination frequency is related to the distance between linked genes We have used recombination frequencies to map the relative position of genes along the chromosomes (linkage map) 1 map unit = distance within which recombination occurs 1% of the time Cross-Over and Linkage Mapping

Testcross used to map the relative position of three fruit fly genes Recombination frequency between cn and b is 9% Recombination frequency between cn and vg is 9.5% Recombination frequency between b and vg is 17% The only possible arrangement of these three genes is: b – cn – vg The linkage map shows the order of genes but does not accurately show the precise location of genes. Cytogenetic maps indicate the positions of genes with respect to chromosomal features (bands, centromere) Recent techniques show the physical distances between gene loci in DNA nucleotides. Linkage map

X inactivation Females have two X chromosomes, but only one is active During female development, one X chromosomes condenses into a compact object called a Barr body Most of the genes on the Barr body chromosome are not expressed. The condensed Barr-body chromosome is reactivated in ovarian cells that produce gametes. X inactivation

Inactivation of one X chromosome happens randomly and independently in embryonic cells Females consist of a mosaic of two types of cells – some with and active paternal X chromosome, others with an active maternal X chromosome. After an X chromosome is inactivated all mitotic descendents of that cell will have the same inactive X If a female is heterozygous for a sex-linked trait, approximately half of her cells will express one allele, and the other half will express the other allele Barr bodies

In humans, this mosaic pattern Is evident in women who are heterozygous for an S-linked mutation that prevents the development of sweat glands. A heterozygous woman will have patches of normal skin and skin patches lacking sweat glands. In cats, the orange-and-black pattern on tortoiseshell cats is due to patches of cells expressing an orange allele while other patches have a non-orange allele X inactivation

Mutations Mutations are changes in the genome Can occur in somatic cells and cause cancer Can occur during gametogenesis and affect future offspring Radiation and chemicals can cause mutations, but where they occur is random Gene Mutations: in the DNA sequence (more next week) Chromosome Mutations: can be seen in karyotype Mutations

Types of Chromosome Mutations Deletion: when a fragment lacking a centromere is lost during cell division Duplications occur when a fragment becomes attached as an extra segment to a sister or non-sister chromatid Inversion: when a chromosomal fragment reattaches to its original chromosome but in the reverse orientation Translocation: when a fragment of a chromosome becomes attached to a nonhomologous chromosome Polyploidy: when a cell or organism has extra sets of chromosomes Types of Chromosome Mutations

A portion of the chromosome is missing or deleted A portion of the chromosome is missing or deleted. Known disorders in humans include Wolf- Hirschhorn syndrome, which is caused by partial deletion of the short arm of chromosome 4; Cri du chat syndrome is due to a partial deletion of the short arm of chromosome number 5. A portion of the chromosome is duplicated, resulting in extra genetic material. Known human disorders include Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A which may be caused by duplication of the gene encoding peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) on chromosome 17. Practice

When a portion of one chromosome is transferred to another chromosome When a portion of one chromosome is transferred to another chromosome. Sometimes, parts of different chromosomes switch places (reciprocal exchange). A portion of the chromosome has broken off, turned upside down and reattached, therefore the genetic material is backward. Practice

Physical and chemical disturbances can damage chromosomes in major ways. Errors during meiosis can alter chromosome number in a cell Nondisjunction occurs when problems with the meiotic spindle cause errors in daughter cells This may occur during meiosis I or meiosis II Offspring resulting from fertilization of abnormal gamete with one produced by nondisjunction will have an abnormal chromosome number = aneuploidy Trisomy 21: Down Syndrome Ok Sometimes: strawberries are octoploid Can spur evolution and speciation Nondisjunction

Nondisjunction of sex chromosomes Extra X chromosomes become inactivated as Barr bodies. XXY = Klinefelter’s syndrome Individuals have male sex organs, but are sterile XYY = somewhat taller XO = Turner’s syndrome. This is the only known viable monosomy in humans Phenotypically female but sterile Nondisjunction of sex chromosomes

Inheritance patterns that are exceptions Phenotypic effects of some mammalian genes depend on whether they are inherited from the mother or the father. The genes involved are not necessarily sex linked (not on sex chromosomes) This is called genomic imprinting this occurs during formation of gametes and results in the silencing of certain genes. Imprinted genes are not expressed Inheritance patterns that are exceptions

Angelman's and Prader-willi syndrome

Extranuclear genes Mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own DNA Coloration patterns in some plants are due to genes in the plastids. Mitochondrial genes primarily impact ATP supply This DNA is passed from the mother to her offspring. Zygote inherits all mitochondria from ovum, all mitochondrial genes in mammals demonstrate maternal inheritance. Extranuclear genes