Inheritance

AQA GCSE Science

Inheritance
Huntington’s disorder •Genetic tests, genetic screening
Dominant & Recessive alleles •Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis
Cystic fibrosis •Gene therapy
What decides an embryo’s sex? •Cloning and Stem Cells

Genes and Inheritance

 Genes are found in our chromosomes and
parents pass these on to offspring in their sex
cells. Different versions of the same gene are
called alleles, and these can determine features
such as eye colour, and the inheritance of
disorders such as cystic fibrosis.
 Chromosomes are structures found in the nucleus of
most cells. ] controls the activities of a cell. The
instructions for how an organism develops are found
in the nuclei [Nuclei: The plural of nucleus. The
nucleus controls what happens inside the cell.
Chromosomes are structures found in the nucleus of
most cells ] of its cells

Nucleus, chromosomes and genes

 Chromosomes: coiled structures of DNA found in the nucleus
of cells that contain all the genetic information of an organism
 DNA: stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid. A section of DNA that
has the genetic code for making a particular protein is called
a gene [gene: The basic unit of genetic material inherited from
our parents]. The proteins can either be:
i. structural proteins such as the ones found in muscles and hair
ii. enzymes, such as proteases and other digestive enzymes

Sex cells and chromosomes
 Human body cells each contain 23 pairs
of chromosomes
 Parents pass on their genes to their offspring in their
sex cells.
 female sex cells are called egg cells, or ova
 male sex cells are called sperm

Continued….
 A pair of chromosomes carry the same genes, in the same
place, on the chromosome. However, there are different
versions of a gene called alleles. These alleles may be the
same on each pair of chromosomes, or different, for example,
blue eyes or brown eyes.
 Sex cells only contain one chromosome from each pair. When
an egg cell and sperm cell join together, the fertilised egg cell
contains 23 pairs of chromosomes. One chromosome in each
pair comes from the mother, the other from the father.
 Which chromosome we get from each pair is completely
random. This means different children in the same family will
each get a different combination. This is why children in the
same family look a little like each other and a little like each
parent, but are not identical to them.

Sex chromosomes
 A set of chromosomes can be separated from its cell, spread out on a
microscope slide and magnified many thousands of times. When
stained and photographed, they look like this:

Chromosomes from a female Chromosomes from a male
 The highlighted pair of chromosomes are called the sex chromosomes.
The longer sex chromosome is called the X chromosome, the shorter
one the Y chromosome.
 females are XX
 males are XY

Determination of gender
 When sex cells form, the pairs of sex chromosomes (XX and XY)
are separated. Remember that females carry XX, males XY. This
means:
1. all normal egg cells produced by a human ovary have an X
chromosome
2. half of the sperm carry an X chromosome, and half a Y

 So a human baby’s gender is determined by the sperm that
fertilises the egg cell. The baby will be a girl if it carries an X
chromosome. It will be a boy if the fertilising sperm carries a Y
chromosome.
 Notice that half of the babies should be male, and half female.
Individual families often have more, or less, boys than girls, but in
a large population there will be roughly equal numbers. This is for
the same reason that if you toss a coin many times you will get
roughly equal numbers of ‘heads’ and ‘tails’.

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science

Variation
 Most characteristics, such as height, are determined
by several genes working together. They are also
influenced by environmental factors. These include:
1. Climate
2. Diet
3. Physical accidents
4. Culture
5. Lifestyle
 For example, an individual might inherit a tendency
to tallness, but a poor diet during childhood will
result in poor growth and a shorter individual.

Identical Twins
 Identical twins are genetically the same. They are a good example of
the interaction between inheritance and the environment. For example,
an identical twin who takes regular exercise will have better muscle
tone than one who does not. All of the differences that you see between
identical twins, for example, in personality, tastes and
aptitude(capability), are due to differences in their experiences or
environment.

Alleles
 The chromosomes in a pair carry the
same genes in the same places. But there
are different versions of the same gene.
 Different versions of the same gene are
called alleles, which is pronounced al-eels.
For example, the gene for eye colour has an
allele for blue eye colour and an allele for
brown. For any gene, a person may have the
same two alleles, or two different ones.

Recessive or dominant alleles
 A recessive allele only shows if the individual has two copies of it. For example,
the allele for blue eyes is recessive. You need two copies of this allele to have blue
eyes.
 A dominant allele always shows, even if the individual only has one copy of it. For
example, the allele for brown eyes is dominant. You only need one copy of it to
have brown eyes. Two copies will still give you brown eyes.

Individuals A and B have brown eyes - only individual C has blue eyes

• Only individual C will have blue eyes, because the allele for blue eyes is recessive.
• Individual A is called a carrier because, even though they have brown eyes, they
still carry the allele for blues eyes and can pass this allele on to future generations.

Cystic fibrosis

 Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by a
recessive allele [allele: One form of a gene. ]. In the
genetic diagram on the next slide, it is written as ‘c’.

 People with CF produce abnormally thick and sticky
mucus in their lungs and airways. As a result, they
are more likely to get respiratory infections. Daily
physiotherapy helps to relieve congestion,
while antibiotics can fight infection. CF also affects
the gut and pancreas, so food is not digested
efficiently.

Inheriting copies of the allele
 You need to inherit two copies of the faulty allele to be born with CF. If
you have just one copy, you are a carrier, but will not experience any
symptoms. If two carriers have a child together, there is a one in four
chance of it inheriting the disorder. The genetic diagram shows why.

Inheritance of cystic fibrosis

Huntington’s disorder
 Huntington’s disorder is caused by a dominant allele , written as H. The
symptoms usually develop in middle age, and include problems with
controlling your muscles and forgetfulness.
Inheriting copies of the allele
 You only need to inherit one copy of the faulty allele to have
Huntington’s disorder, unlike cystic fibrosis, where you need to inherit
both copies. You can inherit Huntington’s disorder if one or both of
your parents carry the faulty allele, because it is dominant.
 You can show inheritance of the disorder using genetic diagrams.

In this example, one parent, the mother, carries
one copy of the Huntington’s allele. She has the
disorder. The father does not carry the
Huntington’s allele, so he does not have the
disorder. There is a 1:2, or 50%, chance of them
producing a child with the disorder. Note that in
an individual family, by chance, all of the children
may inherit the disorder, or none at all.

Inheriting the Huntington's allele

In this example, both parents carry one copy of the
Huntington’s allele. Both have the disorder. There is
a 3:4, or 75%, chance of them producing a child with
the disorder. Note that in an individual family, by
chance, all of the children might inherit the disorder.
It is also possible for none of them to inherit the
disorder, although this is less likely than in the first
example.

In this instance, one parent, the mother, carries one
copy of the Huntington’s allele. The father carries two
copies. Both have the disorder. All of their children will
have it, too.

Ideas about science - values

 Scientists are now able to test adults and foetuses for
alleles which can cause genetic diseases. However,
the scientific information produced raises many issues
that science cannot address.
 For example, should a couple with a one in four risk of
having a child with cystic fibrosis take the gamble, or
decide not to have any children at all? If a woman
becomes pregnant with a child that is going to have
cystic fibrosis, should she have the child, or choose to
have an abortion? These are questions about values
that science cannot answer. Different people will have
different views.

Testing and treating genetic diseases
 Genetic testing can determine whether a person
is carrying the alleles that cause genetic
disorders. But there are limits to the testing, and
the subject raises a number of ethical issues.

Genetic tests
 Genetic testing involves analysing a person’s DNA to
see if they carry alleles that cause genetic disorders.
It can be done at any stage in a person’s life. There
are several types of genetic test, including testing for
medical research.

Antenatal & Neonatal Testing

Antenatal testing
 This is used to analyse an individual’s DNA or chromosomes before
they are born. At the moment, it cannot detect all inherited disorders.
Prenatal testing is offered to couples who may have an increased risk
of producing a baby with an inherited disorder. Prenatal testing for
Down’s syndrome, which is caused by a faulty chromosome, is offered
to all pregnant women.
Neonatal testing
 This is used just after a baby has been born. It is designed to detect
genetic disorders that can be treated early. In the UK, all babies are
screened for phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism and cystic
fibrosis. Babies born to families that are at risk of sickle cell disease are
tested for this disorder.

Neonatal testing involves analysing a sample of
blood taken by pricking the baby’s heel

Limits of genetic testing
 Genetic tests are not available for every possible inherited disorder.
And they are not completely reliable. They may produce false
positive, or false negative, results. These can have serious
consequences.
False positives
A false positive occurs when a genetic test has wrongly detected a certain
allele or faulty chromosome. The individual or family could believe
something is wrong when it is not. This may lead them to decide not to
start a family, or to choose an abortion, in order to avoid having a baby
with a genetic disorder.

False negatives
A false negative happens when a genetic test has failed to detect a certain
allele or faulty chromosome. The individual or family would be wrongly
reassured. This may lead them to decide to start a family or continue with
a pregnancy.

Gene therapy
 Gene therapy involves inserting copies of a
normal allele into the chromosomes of an individual
who carries a faulty allele. It is not always successful,
and research is continuing.

 It is illegal to do this to sex cells, because any
changes would be inherited by the individual’s
offspring. Instead, gene therapy is used on body
cells. It means the individual could pass on their
faulty allele to their children, even if they get better
themselves.

The basic process of gene therapy
Gene therapy involves these basic steps:
1. Doing research to find the gene involved in the genetic disorder.
2. Cutting out the normal allele. Special enzymes [enzymes:proteins
which catalyse or speed up chemical reactions inside our bodies ] are
used to do this.
3. Making many copies of the allele.
4. Putting copies of the normal allele into the cells of a person who has
the genetic disorder.

The gene therapy process

Problems in the process
The main difficulty is usually the last step. Here are some of the
problems:
1.the alleles may not go into every target cell
2.the alleles may join with the chromosomes in random places, so
they do not work properly
3.treated cells may be replaced naturally by the patient’s own
untreated cells

Different methods
Different methods are used to get the alleles into the patient’s cells,
including:
1.using fat droplets in nose sprays
2.using cold viruses that are modified to carry the allele - the
viruses go into the cells and infect them
3.the direct injection of DNA

Stem cells
 During the development of an embryo most of the cells become
specialised. They cannot later change to become a different
type of cell.
 But embryos contain a special type of cell called stem cells.
These can grow into any type of cell found in the body. They
are not specialised. Stem cells can be removed from human
embryos that are a few days old, for example, from unused
embryos left over from fertility treatment.
 Here are some of the things stem cells could be used for:
1. making new brain cells to treat people with Parkinson’s disease
2. rebuilding bones and cartilage
3. repairing damaged immune systems
4. making replacement heart valves

Artificial cloning of animals

 There are two main ways to clone animals.

Embryo transplants
 A developing embryo is removed from a pregnant animal at an early
stage, before its cells have had time to become specialised. The cells
are separated, grown for a while in a laboratory, then transplanted into
host mothers.
 When the offspring are born, they are identical to each other, and to the
original pregnant animal. They are not identical to their host mothers,
because they contain different genetic information.

Fusion cell cloning
 Fusion cell cloning involves replacing the nucleus of an unfertilised egg
with one from a different cell. The replacement can come from an
embryo. If it is from an adult cell, it is called adult cell cloning.

DOLLY THE SHEEP
 Dolly the sheep' was the first mammal to be cloned using adult cell cloning. She was
born in the UK in 1996, and died in 2003. Here is how she was produced:
1. An egg cell was removed from the ovary of an adult female sheep, and its nucleus
removed.
2. The nucleus from an udder cell of a donor sheep was inserted into the empty egg
cell.
3. The fused cell then began to develop normally, using genetic information from the
donated DNA [DNA: The material inside the nucleus of cells, carrying genetic
information. DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid. ].
4. Before the dividing cells became specialised, the embryo was implanted into the
uterus of a foster mother sheep. The result was Dolly, who was genetically identical
to the donor sheep.

Inheritance

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked (13)

Similar to Inheritance (20)

More from Claire Gaukrodger (7)

Inheritance