Inheritance

- Inheritance is the transmission of genetic information from generation to generation

- inheritance of certain characteristics (eye color, height) called heredity
- Genetics is the study of how heredity works
Chromosomes
- A chromosome is a thread of DNA made up of a string of genes
- A gene is a length of DNA that codes for a protein
- Structure of chromosomes: made up of chromatin (DNA + protein)

-
- A human somatic cell has 46 chromosomes (all human cells except gametes)
- The chromosomes of each pair are called “homologous chromosomes” (1 from dad
1 from mom)
- Each pair arranged by size and shape
Inheritance of sex
- 50% of chance of being a female and 50% of being a male
- Connection of sex chromosomes (Possible results) :
Dad/mom X X

X XX XX

Y XY XY
- XX = girl / XY = boy
Mitosis
- Growth is the result of cell division, followed by cell enlargement and cell
specialization
- We all come from a zygote which is a stem cell
- Stem cell: a cell that can divide an unlimited number of times (by mitosis) until they
receive a signal to differentiate
- Mitosis: nuclear division giving rise to genetically identical cells
 - Importance:
Growth of multicellular organisms: humans
Replacement of dead cells/tissue: regeneration
Asexual reproduction: unicellular organisms
Immune response: cloning of B lymphocytes

Meiosis
- Reduction division in which the chromosome number is halved from diploid to
haploid, resulting in genetically different cells

Comparing meiosis and mitosis

Meiosis Mitosis

occurs in the final stage of cell division occurs during cell division of somatic cells
leading to production of gametes

only half the chromosomes are pas on to a full set of chromosomes is passes on to
the daughter cells each daughter

homologous chromosomes and their genes the chromosomes and genes in each
are randomly assorted between the daughter cell are identical
gametes

new organisms produced by meiosis in if new organisms are produced by mitosis in

sexual reproduction will show variations asexual reproduction they will all be like
from each other and from their parents each other and their parents; they are said
to be “clones”

Monohybrid Inheritance
- Genotype is the genetic make-up of an organism in terms of the alleles present
- Phenotype is the observable features of an organism

- Homozygous means having two identical alleles of a particular gene

- Heterozygous means having two different alleles of a particular gee

- Gene: length of DNA that codes for a protein

- Allele: version of a gene

- Alleles naming rules:
Dominant: capital letter (B)
Recessive: lower case (b)
- Dominant describes an allele that is expressed if it is present in the genotype
- Recessive describes an allele that is only expressed when there is no dominant allele
of the gene present in the genotype

Pure breeding
- when all the offspring have the same characteristics a as the parents, this is called
pure breading for this characteristic
Pedigree diagrams and inheritance
- The term pedigree often refers to the pure-breeding nature of animals, but it is also
used to describe human inheritance. Pedigree diagrams are like family trees and can
be used to show genetic diseases can be inherited

Test-cross or Back-cross:
- a black mouse could have either the BB or the Bb genotype. One way to find out the
genotype is to cross the black mouse with a known homozygous recessive mouse,
bb. This is a test-cross

Co-dominance
- Both alleles contribute to the phenotype. The inheritance of the human ABO blood
groups is an example of codominance

Incomplete dominanc
- The effect of the recessive allele is not completely hidden by the dominant allele. An
example occurs with sickle-cell anemia

Sex-linkage
- The gene responsible is located on a sex chromosomes, which makes it more
common in one sex than in the other. An example of this is a form of color blindness.
 Exam-style questions:
1)
Pure breeding tall plant Pure breeding dwarf plant
(X) (Y)

Pure breeding tall plant XX XY

(X)

Pure breeding dwarf plant XY YY

(Y)

2) a) i) Gene: length of DNA that codes for a protein while Allele: version of a gene
ii) Dominant describes an allele that is expressed if it is present in the genotype while
Recessive describes an allele that is only expressed when there is no dominant allele of the
gene present in the genotype
iii) phenotype is the observable features of an organism while Genotype is the genetic make-
up of an organism in terms of the alleles present

3) Allele of Red petals is dominant while the allele of White petals is recessive (Rw)

4) a) Black hair
b) Red hair
c) if both parents have an allele of black hair and an allele of red hair and the two alleles
passed to the child are the ones of red hairs yes it is possible

5) a) Having alleles which there are neither dominant neither recessive such as the
height of a plant will give as a ratio of 1:1
b) if there is an allele which is dominant such as red petals over an allele which is recessive
such as white petals it can be obtained with a ratio of 3:1.

6) a) Co-dominance: A situation in which both alleles in heterozygous organisms

contribute to the phenotype
b)
Fathers genotype: B Fathers genotype: o

Mothers genotype: A A|B A|o

Mothers genotype: o B|o o|o

c) 1:4
7) a) Sex-linked characteristics: A feature in which the gene responsible is located on a
sex chromosome and this makes it more common in one sex than in the other
b) CC-Cc-Cc-cc

Fathers genotype: C Fathers genotype: c

Mothers genotype: C CC Cc

Mothers genotype: c Cc cc