Table of contents

1. Introduction to Genetics51m
2. Mendel's Laws of Inheritance3h 37m
3. Extensions to Mendelian Inheritance2h 41m
4. Genetic Mapping and Linkage2h 28m
5. Genetics of Bacteria and Viruses1h 21m
6. Chromosomal Variation1h 48m
7. DNA and Chromosome Structure56m
8. DNA Replication1h 10m
9. Mitosis and Meiosis1h 34m
10. Transcription1h 0m
11. Translation58m
12. Gene Regulation in Prokaryotes1h 19m
13. Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes44m
14. Genetic Control of Development44m
15. Genomes and Genomics1h 50m
16. Transposable Elements47m
17. Mutation, Repair, and Recombination1h 6m
18. Molecular Genetic Tools19m
- Genetic Cloning
  9m
- Methods for Analyzing DNA
  9m
19. Cancer Genetics29m
- Overview of Cancer
  21m
- Cancer Mutations
  7m
20. Quantitative Genetics1h 26m
21. Population Genetics50m
- Hardy Weinberg
  19m
- Allelic Frequency Changes
  31m
22. Evolutionary Genetics29m

14. Genetic Control of Development

Developmental Patterning Genes

Genetics

14. Genetic Control of Development

Developmental Patterning Genes

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1:26 minutes

Problem 6d

Textbook Question

What is the phenotype of maternal-effect mutations?

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Understand the concept of maternal-effect mutations: These are mutations in the mother's genes that affect the phenotype of her offspring, regardless of the offspring's own genotype.

Recognize that the phenotype of the offspring is determined by the genotype of the mother, specifically the genes expressed in the maternal environment during early embryonic development.

Learn that maternal-effect mutations often involve genes that are critical for processes such as axis formation, cell division, or other early developmental events in the embryo.

Consider examples of maternal-effect mutations, such as mutations in genes responsible for producing mRNA or proteins deposited in the egg by the mother, which guide early embryonic development.

Conclude that the phenotype of maternal-effect mutations is observed in the offspring but is dictated by the mother's genotype, not the offspring's own genetic makeup.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Maternal-Effect Genes

Maternal-effect genes are genes expressed in the mother that influence the phenotype of her offspring, regardless of the offspring's own genotype. These genes are typically involved in early developmental processes, where the mother's mRNA and proteins are deposited in the egg. As a result, the phenotype of the offspring is determined by the maternal genotype, not the zygotic genotype.

Phenotype

Phenotype refers to the observable physical and biochemical characteristics of an organism, which result from the interaction of its genotype with the environment. In the context of maternal-effect mutations, the phenotype is directly influenced by the maternal genotype, leading to specific traits in the offspring that may not reflect their own genetic makeup.

Mutation Types

Mutations can be classified into various types, including maternal-effect mutations, which specifically alter the maternal genes that affect offspring development. These mutations can lead to abnormal phenotypes in the offspring, even if the offspring's own genes are normal. Understanding the nature of these mutations is crucial for studying inheritance patterns and developmental biology.

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Textbook Question

Early development in Drosophila is atypical in that pattern formation takes place in a syncytial blastoderm, allowing free diffusion of transcription factors between nuclei. In many other animal species, the fertilized egg is divided by cellular cleavages into a larger and larger number of smaller and smaller cells.

What constraints does the formation of a syncytial blastoderm impose on the mechanisms of pattern formation?

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Textbook Question

Consider the even-skipped regulatory sequences in Figure 18.9.

Explain what you expect to see happen to even-skipped stripe 2 if it is expressed in a Krüppel mutant background. What about a hunchback mutant background? A giant mutant background? A bicoid mutant background?

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Textbook Question

Consider the even-skipped regulatory sequences in Figure 18.9.

Consider the binding sites for gap proteins and Bicoid in the stripe 2 enhancer module. What sites are occupied in parasegments 2, 3, and 4, and how does this result in expression or no expression?

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Textbook Question

Consider the even-skipped regulatory sequences in the following figure:

How are the sharp boundaries of expression of Eve Stripe 2 formed?

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Textbook Question

What aspects of development do maternal-effect genes control?

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Textbook Question

When are gene products from these genes made, and where are they located?

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Textbook Question

What are maternal-effect genes?

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Textbook Question

Why do loss-of-function mutations in Hox genes usually result in embryo lethality, whereas gain-of-function mutants can be viable? Why are flies homozygous for the recessive loss-of-function alleles and viable?

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