Genes and Inheritance: 5090 Biology
Genes and Inheritance: 5090 Biology
Genes and Inheritance: 5090 Biology
5090
Biology
Chromosomes
⚫ Genetic materials found inside the nucleus of a cell
⚫ Made up of DNA & protein
⚫ Appear as very thin & thread-like structures called
Chromatin
⚫ Each cell in each type of organism has a definite number
of chromosomes
⚫ Each cell has Diploid Number of chromosomes:
1 set of Paternal Chromosomes + 1 set of Maternal
Chromosomes
DN
A
• Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid
• A very long, thin molecule made up of DNA
nucleotides
• 2 nucleotide strands in the form of double helix
• DNA together with proteins made up the
chromosomes
• Chromosomes are mainly found inside the nucleus
in human cells
DNA is a polymer of DNA nucleotides
Each nucleotide consists of ...
Phosph
ate Organic bases
Pentose
4 types of bases :
A T G C
DNA nucleotides condense into
DNA molecule
A T
G C
A T
T A
T A
C G
T A
C G
A simplified representation of DNA molecule
A T
A T
G C
C G
T A
T A
G C
C G
T A
G C
T A
gene controlling
skin colour
gene controlling
tongue rolling • DNA is the set of
instructions telling the cell
centromere to make the right type of
protein & control the
gene controlling eye metabolic activities of the
colour
cells
gene controlling
blood group • Each chromosome is made
up of two DNA strands –
each cell has 92 DNA
strands (46 X 2)
gene controlling
• A human being
skin colour
has 20,000 to 25,000
genes located on 46
chromosomes (23 pairs). These
gene controlling genes are known, collectively,
tongue rolling as the human genome.
centromere
• A gene is a unit of inheritance
gene controlling eye and is a short length of DNA on
a chromosome, which codes for
colour
the production of a particular
gene controlling
protein, determining an
blood group inherited character
⚫ Genome: The complete amount of genetic information
present in an organism is called the genome
⚫ One of each pair has come from the mother and the other from the father, so
the genes are also in “pairs” and both code for the “same characteristic”.
⚫ An individual may have two alleles the same or two different alleles for any one
gene.
⚫ If both alleles are the same they are known as homozygous alleles
⚫ If both alleles are different, they are known as heterozygous. When alleles are
heterozygous it may be that one of the alleles is dominant and the
other recessive. A dominant allele always shows its related characteristic in
the individual.
Genes and Alleles
The pattern of
inheritance and variation
Heredity: tendency of an individual to
resemble his parents
Variation: the differences between
individuals of the same species
Genetics: the study of how characters are
transferred or inherited from one
generation to the next (The
scientific study of inheritance)
Terms
⚫ Genotype - the genetic makeup/composition
⚫ Phenotype - the physical makeup/external appearance
⚫ Homozygous (pure-breeding)
⚫ with the same alleles in the same character
⚫ Heterozygous (hybrid)
⚫ with different alleles
⚫ Dominant gene/allele (or character)
⚫ which expresses its effect even in heterozygous condition
⚫ Recessive gene/allele (or character)
⚫ which expresses its effect only in homozygous condition
• Pedigree
• it shows the inheritance of one or more characters in different generations
⚫ Test cross
⚫ cross the organism with dominant character to an organism with
homozygous recessive character
⚫ to test whether the organism with the dominant character is homozygous or
heterozygous
• Back cross
– cross an organism with one of its parent
Mendel’s Breeding Experiment
Monohybrid Inheritance:
•1st to explain the laws of inheritance
•Experiments on garden pea plants
•Theory: Traits controlled by a single gene
•The inheritance of just one pair of contrasting characters
•Cross 2 pure breeding parents with contrasting characters
pure-breeding x
parents
purple white
⚫ Example:
- Guinae pigs: - Dominant allele for Black fur coat: B
1. Seed shape
2. Seed colour
3. Flower colour
7 characteristics studied
4. Pod shape
5. Pod colour
7 characteristics studied
6. Flower position
7 characteristics studied
7. Stem height
Principle of segregation
⚫ Monohybrid
⚫ pure breeding
⚫ self fertilization
⚫ parental generation
⚫ F1 generation
F2 generation
⚫ P generation
⚫ smooth x wrinkle
⚫ F1 generation
⚫ all smooth
⚫ F2 generation
⚫ smooth : wrinkle
3 : 1
⚫ Note:
⚫ Larger numbers of F1/F2 closer to expected ratio
⚫ Small numbers of F1/F2 not necessarily close to
expected ratio
⚫ 3. IO no antigen
• non-identical twins
– formed from two different zygotes from two separate
fertilizations
– they usually have different characters
– they may have different sexes
Mutation
⚫ Change in the structure of a gene (sickle cell anaemia) to
produce a new allele, or change in the chromosome
number ( Downʼs Syndrome), or change in chromosome
structure
Features:
Growth is stunted, rate of growth is
low, mental retardation ,
characteristic facial features
Low life expectancy
VARIATION
⚫ Definition
The phenomenon of the uniqueness in genotype and
phenotype of organisms (except for clones) is called
variation.
⚫ Two types:
1. Continuous Variation
2. Discontinuous Variation
Discontinuous variation Continuous Variation
⚫
⚫
Shows the trait with quantitative
⚫ Shows the traits with phenotypes measurements in which many classes are
that are distinct to one another possible.
and that fall into separate
contrasting categories. ⚫ It shows a gradual change over a range of
values
⚫ Examples: Examples:
- ABO blood groups - height
- Tall/dwarf pea plants - Weight
- Red/purple flowers - Lengths of leaves in trees
- Ability to roll tongue
Human skin colour
- Eye colour classified as
black/brown/blue/green IQ
⚫ - Hair colour, ear lobes, colour of Heartbeat, finger length, leaf length
Discontinuous Variation Continuous Variation
⚫ Controlled by a single ⚫ Controlled by many genes
gene/few genes
⚫ Genes interact with
⚫ Little affected by environment to produce such
environmental conditions differences
- Food supply
- Predation
- Disease
- Temperature
- Water supply
⚫ Streptomycin
– at first worked, then resistant strains of bacteria appeared.
⚫ Explanation:
⚫
⚫ How?
- Malarial protozoan spends part of lifecycle inside rbc
- Disease resistance
- Survival in drought
Artificial Selection in Animals
⚫ Artificial selection of domesticated pigeons – variety of
traits
⚫ d) resistance to disease
⚫ Possible cures for genetic diseases e.g cystic fibrosis, cancer etc.
CONS
Adverse effects on environment:
Examples:
2. Some GM crops given a toxin-producing gene to kill insects. This gene can transfer to
other plant species, causing deaths of non-target species --- result: loss of biodiversity
3. “Terminator gene”:
Some biotech companies engineered crop plants containing the terminator gene – to
prevent seeds from platns germination so a farmer has to buy fresh seeds from the
company every year
CONS
Dangers to Health: