Scribd
Upload
152 views

Sex Linked Inheritance

Females have two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y chromosome. The X and Y chromosomes determine sex, with females developing two Xs and males developing one X and one Y. Females produce eggs with only X chromosomes, while males produce sperm with either an X or Y chromosome. This means there is a roughly equal chance of conceiving a male or female child. Genes on the X and Y chromosomes can be inherited in a sex-linked manner, with traits more commonly expressed in males since they only have one X chromosome.

Uploaded by

Meeta Devi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
152 views

Sex Linked Inheritance

Females have two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y chromosome. The X and Y chromosomes determine sex, with females developing two Xs and males developing one X and one Y. Females produce eggs with only X chromosomes, while males produce sperm with either an X or Y chromosome. This means there is a roughly equal chance of conceiving a male or female child. Genes on the X and Y chromosomes can be inherited in a sex-linked manner, with traits more commonly expressed in males since they only have one X chromosome.

Uploaded by

Meeta Devi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 13

INHERITANCE & THE SEX CHROMOSOMES

•  Females have 23 pairs of


matched chromosomes.
•  Males have 22 pairs of
matched chromosomes
and one non-matching
pair.
•  The 23rd pair of
chromosomes determine
sex:
–  Females have 2 large
(X) chromosomes.
–  Males have 1 large (X)
chromosome & one
small (Y)
chromosome.
•  The other 22 pairs of
chromosomes are called
autosomes.
HUMAN MALE AND FEMALE KARYOTYPE
THE X & Y CHROMOSOMES

•  Females have only


X chromosomes.
•  They produce
haploid ova with
only the X
chromosomes.
•  Males have both X
and Y
chromosomes.
•  They produce
haploid sperm with
either X or Y
chromosomes.
SEX DETERMINATION: WHAT ARE THE
CHANCES OF HAVING A BOY OR GIRL?
•  The father
determines the sex of
the child.
•  X- and Y- bearing
sperm occur in
approximately equal
numbers in semen.
•  At fertilisation, there
is thus an equal
chance of a male or
female child being
conceived, over the
whole population.
SEX-LINKED INHERITANCE
•  Autosomal
inheritance involves
genes on one of the
22 autosomes.
•  Sex-linked
inheritance involves
genes on the X or Y
chromosomes.
•  The Y chromosome
is smaller than the X
and does not have
the same number of
genes.
SEX-LINKED INHERITANCE
•  Females have the
XX genotype.
•  For females, normal
allele pairing occurs.
•  Males have the XY
genotype.
•  For males, most of
the genes on the X
chromosomes lack
matching alleles on
the Y.
•  Males are
hemizygous for X-
linked genes.
•  Hemizygous means
“having no allelic
counterpart”.
SEX-LINKED INHERITANCE
•  Hemizygous
(unmatched)
alleles on the X
chromosomes
cannot be masked.
•  They will be
expressed.
•  Therefore X-linked
disorders are more
common in males
than in females.
•  A carrier does not
show the affected
phenotype but
carries the
affected gene.
FEMALE CARRIERS – THE MASKED
RECESSIVE ALLELES
•  Haemophilia and
red-green colour
blindness are X-
linked disorders.
•  The allele for both
disorders is
recessive.
•  For a female to show
either of these
phenotypes, BOTH
her X chromosomes
must carry the (rare)
recessive allele.
•  However, if she
carries the allele on
one X chromosome,
it will be found in
50% of her ova.
HOW FEMALE CARRIERS AFFECT THEIR
SONS
•  There is a 50%
chance that a
female carrier
will pass on the
affected allele to
her offspring.
•  Affected sons
are hemizygous
and will show
the phenotype.
HOW FEMALE CARRIERS AFFECT THEIR
DAUGHTERS
•  There are 2
possibilities for
affected daughters.
•  If they receive a
normal allele from
their father, they will
be heterozygous
carriers but will not
show the phenotype.
•  If they receive an
affected allele from
their father, they will
be homozygous
recessive. They will
show the phenotype.
HOW TO SET OUT CROSSES FOR X-
LINKED ALLELES
•  The allele is given a
capital letter for the
dominant allele and
the lower case
version of the letter
for the recessive…
BUT…
•  The alleles are
written attached to As shown on a pedigree…..
the X chromosome
on the top right of
the X.
•  No allele is attached
to the Y.
…. and a Punnett Square.
***The sex, genotype and phenotype of the offspring must be written as well
as the % of each.

25% normal homozygous daughters 25% heterozygous carrier daughters


25% heterozygous carrier daughters 25% affected homozygous daughters
25% normal sons 25% normal sons
25% affected sons 25% affected sons
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

•  http://home.planet.nl
•  http://openlearn.open.ac.uk
•  http://image.tutorvista.com
•  http://www.synapses.co.uk
•  http://www.slh.wisc.edu
•  http://www.mun.ca
•  http://www.wissensdrang.com
•  http://graphics8.nytimes.com
•  http://www.cardiovascularultrasound.com
•  http://www.nlm.nih.gov

You might also like