GENETICS NOTES GR12: BY NP MBHELE

GENETICS
INTRODUCTION
Father of Genetics. Gregor Mendel, through
his work on pea plants, discovered the fundamental laws of inheritance.
He deduced that genes come in pairs and are inherited as distinct units, one from
each parent.

CONCEPTS IN INHERITANCE:

1.CHROMATIN:
is a substance within a chromosome consisting of DNA and protein

2.CHROMOSOMES
are threadlike structures of nucleic acids and found in the nucleus carrying
genetic information
3.GENES:
A small portion of DNA coding for a particular Characteristic/ protein
4.ALLELES:
each of two or more alternative forms of a gene found at the same (locus)
place on a
5.DOMINANT ALLELES
An allele that is expressed in the phenotype when found in the heterozygous (Tt)
and homozygous (TT) condition.

chromosom

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6.RECESSIVE ALLELES
An allele that is masked in the phenotype when found in the heterozygous (Tt)
condition.
It is only expressed in the homozygous (tt) condition.
PHENOTYPE
The physical appearance of an organism determined by the genotype, e.g. tall,
short.
GENOTYPE
Genetic composition (make- Alleles up) of an organism.

Homozygous

Two identical alleles for a particular

characteristic, BB or bb.

Heterozygous
Two different alleles for a particular characteristic, Bb.

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Mendels Three (3) Laws

MONOHYBRID CROSSES:

Is a cross which involve only one characteristic or trait

is being shown in the genetic cross
Mendel's Law of Segregation states that a diploid
organism passes a randomly selected allele for a trait
to its offspring, such that the offspring receives one
allele from each parent

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FORMAT FOR REPRESENTING A GENETICS CROSS

How do we mark a genetic cross
1

TYPES OF DOMINANCE
1.COMPLETE DOMINANCE
– genetic cross where the dominant allele masks (blocks) the expression of
a recessive allele in the heterozygous condition.

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2. INCOMPLETE DOMINANCE
genetic cross where none of the two alleles of a gene are dominant over
one another, resulting in an intermediate phenotype in the
heterozygous condition

3. CO-DOMINANCE
A genetic cross in which both alleles are expressed equally in the
phenotype.

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Genetics problems involving each of the three types of dominance

Individuals of F all display the dominant characteristic)

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Proportion and ratio of genotypes and phenotypes

genotypic ratio describes the number of times a genotype
would appear in the offspring after a test cross. For example, a
test cross between two organisms with same genotype, Rr, for a
heterozygous dominant trait will result in offspring with
genotypes: RR, Rr, Rr, and rr.
Hence 1: 2:1
Phenotypic ratio pertains to the relative number of offspring
manifesting a particular trait or combination of traits. Eg 3 red, 1
white hence
3:1
NOTE: let students practice different examples with crosses

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Sex-linked inheritance
Although most of the bodily characteristics are carried on the 22 pairs
of autosomes, there are a few characteristics carried on the
gonosomes only. Thus, for example, the gene for hair growing on the
inside of the pinna (Figure 9) is carried on the Y chromosome, so only
men will have this characteristic.
Certain sex-linked genetic disorders are carried on the allele found on
the X chromosome only. Two of these disorders are colour
blindness and haemophilia.
Figure 9: Hairy

• A person is colour-blind if unable to tell different colours apart. For example,

red-green colour-blindness is caused by an absence of the proteins that make up
the red or green cones (photoreceptors) in the retina of the eye resulting in the
person not being able to tell the difference between red and green.
• Haemophilia is the inability of the blood to clot due to lack of a blood clotting
factor. If the sufferer were to cut themselves, the wound would continue to bleed
until a clotting factor is transfused in hospital.
• Colour-blindness and haemophilia is caused by the recessive allele on the X
chromosome normally shown as (Xb) for colour-blindness and (Xh) for
haemophilia
• As a result, men who have only one X chromosome, have a greater risk of
inheriting these disorders.
• Women, on the other hand, have a much lower chance of inheriting two X
chromosomes which both carry the recessive allele for the disorder. If a woman
inherits one X chromosome with the recessive allele for the disorder, she is called
a carrier as she does not show signs of the disorder but can pass it on to her
children.

Tables 3 and 4 below relate the inheritance of haemophilia and colour-blindness. Table 3:
Inheritance of
haemophilia

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Table 4: Inheritance of colour-blindness

Do not add any letter to the Y chromosome since the Y chromosome does not have an allele
to counteract the recessive allele for haemophilia and colourblindness.

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Indicated/given

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