KNOWLEDGE AREA:
Life at Molecular, Cellular and
Tissue Level
TOPIC 1.2: Genetic and
Inheritance
Terminology
Genetics : study of heredity & the variations
of these inherited characteristics.
Heredity : transfer of characteristics from
parents to offspring.
The set of characteristics that have been
transferred from parent to offspring is referred to
as inheritance.
Human somatic cells = 23 pairs of chromosomes.
Diploid / 2n.
A pair, identical in shape & structure :
homologous chromosomes.
Sex cells/ gametes = 23 single chromosomes.
Haploid / n.
Short portion of DNA - Gene.
A chromosome - a number of genes.
The position of a gene = locus / loci.
Diploid cells - 2 copies of a gene for a particular chara.
Genescontrol
characteristics:
structural (eye colour,
hair colour & height )
physiological (rate of
metabolism, the
predisposition to
certain diseases &
disorders).
Theinheritance of characteristics, controlled by
only one gene at a single locus is called
monogenic inheritance.
More thanone gene at more than one loci on
one or more chromosomes is called
polygenic inheritance.
Phenotype = external / physical appearance
Genotype = genetic composition
Genotype determines phenotype.
Alternative forms of a gene found at same locus.
Eye colour controlled by a single gene.
Blue, green, brown, hazel
Different alleles
Eye colour is controlled by 1 gene with 2 alleles.
3 different ways in which alleles may interact
with each other.
1. Complete dominance
2. Incomplete dominance
3. Co-dominance
Complete dominance
one allele completely dominant over other.
Characteristic controlled by this allele will show up in
organism.
the other allele is masked.
dominant.
Allele that shows up =
Other = recessive.
When organism has a dominant & recessive allele for a
characteristic only dominant allele shows up while
recessive allele is masked.
Recessive characteristic only shows up in organism when it
has 2 recessive alleles for a characteristic.
Homozygous - 2 copies of same allele
pure breeding / true breeding.
Heterozygous - 2 different alleles
hybrid.
refers to a complete set of all the genes in all the
chromosomes of a particular species.
All the genetic information of an organism
3 billion nucleotides
Letter – 100200 pages of a book
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