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Genetics Problem Set: Crosses & Inheritance

1. Mendel's law of independent assortment held true for dihybrid crosses, as the alleles for each gene are inherited independently of each other during gamete formation. For example, in a dihybrid cross any two alleles can combine randomly. 2. The pedigree shows an X-linked recessive pattern of inheritance, as only males are affected and the trait is passed from carrier mothers to their sons. 3. The probabilities are: A) 1/16, B) 1/4, C) 9/16, D) 3/16.

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Martin De Haro Garcia
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9 views3 pages

Genetics Problem Set: Crosses & Inheritance

1. Mendel's law of independent assortment held true for dihybrid crosses, as the alleles for each gene are inherited independently of each other during gamete formation. For example, in a dihybrid cross any two alleles can combine randomly. 2. The pedigree shows an X-linked recessive pattern of inheritance, as only males are affected and the trait is passed from carrier mothers to their sons. 3. The probabilities are: A) 1/16, B) 1/4, C) 9/16, D) 3/16.

Uploaded by

Martin De Haro Garcia
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Problem Set 2

1. In 100 words or less, describe how Mendel’s dihybrid crosses were consistent with
the law of independent assortment.

The law of Independent assortment states that “Two different genes randomly assort
their alleles during the formation of haploid cells”. Since a dihybrid cross (two factor cross)
investigate the patter of inheritance for two different character, the law of independent
assortment proposed by Mendel was consistence and held true for dihybrid crosses since
allele for one gene are found within a resulting gamete independently of whether the
allele for a different gene is found in the same gamete. For example, in the F1 self-
fertilization, any two gametes can combine randomly during fertilization such as RY, Ry,
rY, ry.

2. For the pedigree shown below, which of the following patterns of inheritance are
possible? Assume complete penetrance. Explain your reasoning.

autosomal recessive
autosomal dominant
X-linked recessive
Sex-influenced, dominant in females

Note: The patterns above refer to inheritance pattern of affected individuals, which are
shown in black.
2. A type B woman is the daughter of a type O father and type B mother. If she has children
with a type O man, what are the following probabilities?
A. A type AB child
B. A type O child
C. The first three children with type B blood
D. A family containing two children with type B blood and one child with type O

3. A heterozygous plant, GgHhIiJjKk is allowed to self-fertilize. What is the probability that


an offspring will be GGHhIiJjkk?

4. A cross was made between homozygous wild-type female Drosophila and yellow-bodied
male Drosophila. All of the resulting offspring were phenotypically wild type. Offspring of
the F2 generation had the following phenotypes:
Sex Phenotype Number
male wild 96
male yellow 99
female wild 197

Based on this information:


(a) Is the mutant gene for yellow body behaving as a recessive or dominant gene and why?

(b) Is the yellow locus on an autosome or on the X chromosome and why?

5. With regard to flower color in sweet peas, explain how complementation can occur when
two different white-flowered strains are crossed to produce purple-flowered offspring. Your
explanation should focus on the concept of loss-of-function versus functional alleles.
6. An enzyme, encoded by gene A, converts substrate X into product Y. Individuals with a
dominant mutation in gene A over accumulate substrate X, which causes severe
neurological symptoms. At the molecular level, this enzyme functions as a homodimer. A
homodimer is a protein composed of two subunits that are encoded by the same gene. Let’s
suppose you are able to purify subunits from cell samples and then mix them together under
conditions in which they form homodimers, and you have an enzyme assay that can
measure the accumulation of product Y. How would you distinguish the three common
patterns of dominant inheritance: haploinsufficiency, dominant negative mutations, and gain-
of-function mutations? In your answer, you need to describe what types of cell samples you
would analyze, and how your results could distinguish between the three molecular
explanations for dominant inheritance. Be quantitative in your answer.

Common questions

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Homodimers, composed of two identical subunits from the same gene, are critical in expressing certain mutations due to their enzymatic function: they determine the inheritance pattern by how these subunits interact. In dominant negative mutations, a defective subunit can dimerize with a functional one, inhibiting enzyme activity, leading to a phenotype. Gain-of-function mutations can similarly alter functionality either by enhancing activity or creating new interactions. Understanding these interactions is vital for elucidating mechanisms of genetic disorders caused by dominant mutations .

The yellow-bodied gene in Drosophila exhibits recessive behavior, as evidenced by the fact that all F1 offspring of a cross between wild-type females and yellow-bodied males were wild-type. This indicates that the dominant wild-type allele masks the yellow allele in the presence of both. Evidence for its location on the X chromosome includes the observation that only males in the F2 generation show the yellow phenotype, which follows the pattern of X-linked recessive inheritance .

Mendel's dihybrid cross experiment showcases the principle of independent assortment by demonstrating that alleles of different genes segregate independently during gamete formation. This is evident when crossing two heterozygous individuals (e.g., YyRr) where the gametes show all combinations of alleles (YR, Yr, yR, yr) independent of each other. This foundational concept is significant in genetics because it explains genetic variation and predicts the inheritance patterns of multiple traits, leading to a 9:3:3:1 phenotypic ratio in the F2 generation .

Penetrance quantifies the proportion of individuals with a genotype that actually express the associated phenotype. In genetic pedigrees, especially assuming complete penetrance, it helps in predicting how consistently a dominant trait will appear in offspring. Complete penetrance implies that every individual with the genotype for a dominant trait will express it, thus simplifying predictions in pedigrees. Conversely, incomplete penetrance complicates these predictions, as some individuals with the dominant allele might not express the trait .

To distinguish between these genetic mutations using an enzyme assay, different cell samples such as those from heterozygous, homozygous mutant, and wild-type individuals should be analyzed. Haploinsufficiency shows reduced enzyme activity in heterozygotes due to insufficient gene product dosage. Dominant negative mutations exhibit reduced or no activity due to the mutated subunit interfering with the normal homodimer. Gain-of-function mutations reveal increased enzyme activity in mutants due to newly acquired functions. Comparing product Y accumulation across these samples clarifies the mutation type .

The law of independent assortment impacts genetic variation by allowing alleles of different genes to segregate independently during gamete formation. This means that each gamete can carry any combination of alleles for different genes, resulting in substantial genetic diversity in offspring. For instance, in a dihybrid cross of YyRr individuals, gametes can form as YR, Yr, yR, or yr, leading to a variety of genetic combinations in the progeny .

The possible inheritance patterns, assuming complete penetrance, could include autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant, X-linked recessive, and sex-influenced dominant in females. For example, autosomal recessive patterns show affected individuals in both sexes and skipped generations, while autosomal dominant reveals affected individuals in each generation. X-linked recessive primarily affects males, since they have a single X chromosome. Identifying these patterns helps pinpoint the genetic basis by observing the distribution of affected individuals across generations .

The probability of obtaining an offspring with the genotype GGHhIiJjkk is calculated by multiplying the probabilities of each gene pair segregating appropriately: GG (1/4), Hh (1/2), Ii (1/2), Jj (1/2), and kk (1/4). Thus, the overall probability is (1/4) * (1/2) * (1/2) * (1/2) * (1/4) = 1/128. This calculation uses Mendel's laws of segregation and independent assortment, demonstrating how alleles for separate genes distribute independently .

Complementation occurs when two white-flowered strains, each possessing a mutation in a different gene required for flower color, are crossed, producing purple-flowered offspring. Each strain has at least one functional allele for the gene the other lacks, allowing the synthesis pathway for purple pigment to complete and manifest in the offspring's phenotype. Hence, complementation demonstrates how two non-functional mutations in separate genes can produce a functional outcome when combined .

The woman can be either BO or BB genotype. With a type O man (OO genotype), the probabilities are as follows: (A) a type AB child is impossible; (B) a type O child has a probability of 1/2 if she is BO, zero if BB; (C) the probability of the first three children being type B is 1 (if BB) or 1/8 (if BO); (D) the probability of two type B and one type O child is a multinomial outcome, calculated for each scenario. The principles of Mendel's laws and blood type genetics determine these probabilities .

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