Concept explainers
Six months pregnant, an expectant mother had a routine ultrasound that showed that the limbs of the fetus were unusually short. Her physician suspected that the baby might have a genetic form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, an autosomal dominant trait occurring with a frequency of about 1 in 27,000 births. The parents were directed to a genetic counselor to discuss this diagnosis. In the conference, they learned that achondroplasia is caused by a mutant allele. Sometimes it is passed from one generation to another, but in 80 percent of all cases it is the result of a spontaneous mutation that arises in a gamete of one of the parents. They also learned that most children with achondroplasia have normal intelligence and a normal life span.
It has been suggested that prenatal genetic testing for achondroplasia be made available and offered to all women. Would you agree with this initiative? What ethical considerations would you consider when evaluating the medical and societal consequences of offering such testing?
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionChapter 15 Solutions
Concepts of Genetics (12th Edition)
- A proband female with an unidentified disease seeks the advice of a genetic counselor before starting a family. Based on the following data, the counselor constructs a pedigree encompassing three generations: (1) The maternal grandfather of the proband has the disease. (2) The mother of the proband is unaffected and is the youngest of five children, the three oldest being male. (3) The proband has an affected older sister, but the youngest siblings are unaffected twins (boy and girl). (4) All the individuals who have the disease have been revealed. Duplicate the counselors featarrow_forwardSix months pregnant, an expectant mother had a routineultrasound that showed that the limbs of the fetus wereunusually short. Her physician suspected that the babymight have a genetic form of dwarfism called achondroplasia,an autosomal dominant trait occurring with a frequency of about1 in 27,000 births. The parents were directed to a genetic counselorto discuss this diagnosis. In the conference, they learnedthat achondroplasia is caused by a mutant allele. Sometimes itis passed from one generation to another, but in 80 percent ofall cases it is the result of a spontaneous mutation that arisesin a gamete of one of the parents. They also learned that mostchildren with achondroplasia have normal intelligence and a normallife span. What information would be most relevant to concluding whichof the two mutation origins, inherited or new, most likelypertains in this case? How does this conclusion impact on thiscouple’s decision to have more children?arrow_forwardSix months pregnant, an expectant mother had a routineultrasound that showed that the limbs of the fetus wereunusually short. Her physician suspected that the babymight have a genetic form of dwarfism called achondroplasia,an autosomal dominant trait occurring with a frequency of about1 in 27,000 births. The parents were directed to a genetic counselorto discuss this diagnosis. In the conference, they learnedthat achondroplasia is caused by a mutant allele. Sometimes itis passed from one generation to another, but in 80 percent ofall cases it is the result of a spontaneous mutation that arisesin a gamete of one of the parents. They also learned that mostchildren with achondroplasia have normal intelligence and a normallife span. It has been suggested that prenatal genetic testing for achondroplasiabe made available and offered to all women. Wouldyou agree with this initiative? What ethical considerationswould you consider when evaluating the medical and societalconsequences of offering…arrow_forward
- In a particular country in sub-Saharan Africa, a medical study revealed that 0.075% of the country's population are suffering from sickle-cell anemia. Sickle cell disease is caused by a mutation in the haemoglobin-Beta gene found on chromosome 11. Sickle cell anemia is controlled by a pair of alleles, H and h, where the individuals with the illness have the homozygous recessive genotype; those with normal red blood cells have the alternative genotype. Using the Hardy-Weinberg's equation, calculate the percentage of the population of the two genotypes for normal blood cells. In a few remote areas in that country, the percentage of sickle cell anemia reaches as high as 5%. Calculate the percentage of homozygous and heterozygous individuals with the normal blood cells and find the ratio for both phenotypes.arrow_forwardTay Sachs is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that causes mental and physical disabilities leading to death in infants. Affected individuals are lacking the enzyme hexosaminidase, causing lipids to build up in the brain.The HEXA gene on chromosome 15 codes for hexosaminidase, and a four base pair insertion in the gene results in an altered reading frame and non-functional enzyme being produced. Individuals who are carriers (heterozygotes) of the Tay-Sachs allele are not affected by the disease but appear to have increased protection against tuberculosis.The incidence of Tay-Sachs disease is much higher among Ashkenazi Jews originating from Eastern Europe than the general population of the United States. About 1 in 3 500 babies of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage are born with Tay-Sachs disease and about 1 in 30 Ashkenazi Jews are carriers compared to about 1 in 320 000 babies born with the disease and about 1 in 300 carriers in the general United States population. Ashkenazi Jews living in…arrow_forwardTake the example of B-thalassemia, an autosomal recessive genetic disease that particularly affects people from around the Mediterranean. This disease is associated with an anomaly of hemoglobin, a protein essential for the transport of oxygen, which is composed of four chains: two alpha (a) and two beta (B). In case of B-thalassemia, the ẞ chains are produced in insufficient or no quantity in an individual homozygous recessive resulting in insufficient production of overall hemoglobin leading to anemia and other physiological challenges. The gene that controls the synthesis of the ẞ chains is located on chromosome 11. Here is part of the coding portion of this gene (which controls a total of 146 amino acids and of which you only see the portion 36 to 41) and one of the targeted mutations: 1. Give the sequence of amino acids from the template and mutated strands. 2. What type of point mutation is it? 3. Using the principles of the theory of evolution, explain briefly and generally why…arrow_forward
- A condition known as icthyosis hystrix gravior appeared in a boy in the early eighteenth century. His skin became very thick and formed loose spines that were sloughed off at intervals. When he grew up, this “porcupine man” married and had six sons, all of whom had this condition, and several daughters, all of whom were normal. For four generations, this condition was passed from father to son. From this evidence, what can you postulate about the location of the gene?arrow_forwardPhenylketonuria (PKU) is a disease that results from a recessive gene.Suppose that two unaffected parents produce a child with PKU. a. What is the probability that a sperm from the father will contain the PKU allele?b. What is the probability that an egg from the mother will contain the PKU allele?c. What is the probability that their next child will have PKU?d. What is the probability that their next child will be heterozygous for the PKU gene?arrow_forwardPhenylketonuria (PKU) is a disease that results from a recessive gene. Suppose that two unaffected parents produce a child with PKU. a. What is the probability that a sperm from the father will contain the PKU allele? b. What is the probability that an egg from the mother will contain the PKU allele? c. What is the probability that their next child will have PKU? d. What is the probability that their next child will be heterozygous for the PKU gene?arrow_forward
- The following pedigree illustrates the inheritance of Nance–Horan syndrome, a rare genetic condition in which affected people have cataracts and abnormally shaped teeth.arrow_forwardYesterday, when Daniel was showering after a basketball game in the gym, one of his friends asked, “Have you always had that big brown thing on your back?” Looking in the mirror, Daniel saw a large, dark brown, irregularly shaped mole. He checked in with a physician at the health center. She told him, “It’s probably just a large mole, but we should do a biopsy to find out for sure.” What genetic differences would you expect the pathology lab to find between a malignant tumor and an ordinary mole?arrow_forwardThere are two genetic disorders that result from mutation in imprinted genes: Prader-Willi syndrome, Angelman syndrome. Angelman syndrome results from deletion of UBE3A, which is a gene imprinted such that only the maternal copy is expressed. In the pedigree above, individual I-1 is heterozygous for a deletion of UBE3A and does not have Angelman syndrome. Individual I-2 is homozygous wild type for UBE3A. Which individuals in the pedigree are at risk for exhibiting Angelman syndrome, if any? (Who could potentially have the syndrome, based on what alleles it is possible for them to inherit and express?) Question 8 options: Only I-1 could have been at risk. If he does not have the syndrome, no one in the pedigree could. Only III-1 is at risk I-1, II-2, and III-1 are all at risk Only II-2 is at risk No one in the pedigree is at risk Both II-2 and III-1 are at…arrow_forward
- Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Co...BiologyISBN:9781305251052Author:Michael CummingsPublisher:Cengage Learning