SexlinkedGenes

ExamplesinHumans:
Colour blindness
Haemophilia
Duchenne musculardystrophy(DMD)

Eyecolour infruitfliesisthemostfamous
exampleofasexlinkedtrait

FruitFlies
Drosophilamelanogaster

ObservingFruitFlies
Trait
Eyecolour

Phenotype
Redeye(wildtype)
Whiteeye(mutant)

PPhenotypes
Wildtype(redeyed)female xWhiteeyedmale
F1 Phenotypes

Allredeyed

Concluderedeyeisdominanttowhiteeye

Hypothesis
AcrossbetweentheF1 fliesshouldgiveus:
3redeye:1whiteeye
F2

Phenotypes
Numbers

Red eye

White eye

3470
82%

782
18%

Aninterestingobservation
F2

RedWhiteeyed
eyed
females males

White
eyed
females

Phenotypes

Redeyed
males

Numbers

1011

2459

782

24%

58%

18%

0%

Areciprocalcross
Morgantriedthecrosstheotherwayround
whiteeyedfemalexredeyedmale
Result
Allredeyedfemalesandallwhiteeyedmales
ThisconfirmedwhatMorgansuspected.
ThegeneforeyecolourislinkedtotheXchromosome.

Geneticdiagramforsexlinkedgenes
Character

Trait

Alleles

Eye colour

Red eye

White eye

Genotypes
XRXR
XRXr
XrXr
XRY
XrY

Phenotypes

Geneticdiagramforsexlinkedgenes
Character

Trait

Alleles

Eye colour

Red eye

White eye

Genotypes
XRXR
XRXr
XrXr
XRY
XrY

Phenotypes
Red-eyed female
Red-eyed female
White-eyed female
Red-eyed male
White-eyed male

Letsgobacktoouroriginalcross:
P Phenotype

Wild type
(red-eyed)
female
XR XR

Genotype
Gametes

XR

x White-eyed
male
XrY

XR
Xr

Xr
Y

XR

XRXr XRY

XR

XRXr XRY

F1 xF1
F1 Phenotype

Red-eyed
female

Red-eyed
male

XR Xr

Genotype
Gametes

XR

XRY
Xr

XR

XR XRXR XRY
Xr XRXr XrY

XR

F2 Phenotype

Expected
Observed

Females
Redeyed
All
2459

Whiteeyed
None
0

Males
Redeyed
50%
1011

ThisgenehasitsLOCUS ontheXchromosome
ItissaidtobeSEXLINKED

Whiteeyed
50%
782

Sexlinkedinheritance:Dominant
WhenthedominantgeneisontheX
chromosome:
Affectedmalespasstoalloftheirdaughtersand
noneoftheirsons
Genotype=XAY

IfthemotherhasanX linkeddominanttrait
andishomozygous(XAXA),allofherchildren
willbeaffected
Ifthemotherisheterozygous(XAXa),thereisa
50%chanceofeachchildbeingaffected

Sexlinkeddominantproblem
Thebarredpatternofchickenfeathersisinheritedbya
pairofsexlinkedgenes,Bforbarred,bfornobars.If
anonbarredfemaleismatedtoabarredmale,
Genotypes:
a) Whatwillthegenotypeandphenotypeofthe
offspringbe?
b)Whatwillbethegenotypeandphenotypeofthe
offspringproducedbymatinganF1 malewithanF1
female?

SexlinkedInheritance:Recessive
WhenyouarefollowingtherecessivetraitlocatedontheX
chromosome
Moremalesthanfemalesaffected(malesinheritXfrom
mother)
Femalescanonlyinheritifthefatherisaffectedandmotheris
acarrier(hetero)oraffected(homo)
Anaffectedfemalewillpassthetraittoallhersons
Daughterswillbecarriersiffatherisnotaffected

Malescannotbecarriers(onlyhave1Xsoeitheraffectedor
not)
Canskipgenerations
E.g.colourblindness,hemophilia,Duchenemuscular
dystrophy

Sexlinkedrecessiveproblem
Redgreencolour blindnessinmeniscausedbythepresenceof
asexlinkedrecessivegeneb,whosenormalalleleisB.
a) Cantwocolour blindparentsproduceanormalson?
b) Cantheyproduceanormaldaughter?
c) Cantwonormalparentsproduceacolour blindsonor
daughter?
d) Cananormaldaughterhaveacolour blindfatheror
mother?
e) Canacolour blinddaughterhaveanormalfatheror
mother?