In humans, the ABO blood type is under the control of autosomal multiple alleles. Color blindness is a recessive X-linked trait. If two parents who are both type A and have normal vision produce a son who is color-blind and is type O, what is the probability that their next child will be a female who has normal vision and is type O?
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
- 19. Cancer Genetics29m
- 20. Quantitative Genetics1h 26m
- 21. Population Genetics50m
- 22. Evolutionary Genetics29m
2. Mendel's Laws of Inheritance
Sex-Linked Genes
Problem 25
Textbook Question
In Drosophila, an X-linked recessive mutation, scalloped (sd), causes irregular wing margins. Diagram the F₁ and F₂ results if (a) a scalloped female is crossed with a normal male; (b) a scalloped male is crossed with a normal female. Compare these results with those that would be obtained if the scalloped gene were autosomal.

1
Step 1: Understand the genetic basis of the problem. The scalloped (sd) mutation is X-linked and recessive. This means the gene is located on the X chromosome, and the phenotype is expressed only when there is no dominant allele present. Males (XY) will express the mutation if they inherit the sd allele, while females (XX) must inherit two sd alleles to express the mutation.
Step 2: For part (a), diagram the F₁ generation. Cross a scalloped female (X^sd X^sd) with a normal male (X^+ Y). The female contributes one X chromosome (X^sd), and the male contributes either X^+ or Y. Write out the possible genotypes of the offspring: females (X^+ X^sd) and males (X^sd Y). Note that the females will be carriers (normal phenotype), while the males will express the scalloped phenotype.
Step 3: For part (a), diagram the F₂ generation. Cross the F₁ individuals: a carrier female (X^+ X^sd) with a scalloped male (X^sd Y). Determine the possible offspring genotypes: X^+ X^+ (normal female), X^+ X^sd (carrier female), X^sd X^sd (scalloped female), X^+ Y (normal male), and X^sd Y (scalloped male). Predict the phenotypic ratios based on these genotypes.
Step 4: For part (b), diagram the F₁ generation. Cross a scalloped male (X^sd Y) with a normal female (X^+ X^+). The male contributes either X^sd or Y, and the female contributes X^+. Write out the possible genotypes of the offspring: females (X^+ X^sd) and males (X^+ Y). Note that all females will be carriers (normal phenotype), and all males will be normal.
Step 5: Compare the results with an autosomal scenario. If the scalloped gene were autosomal, the inheritance would not depend on sex chromosomes. For part (a), crossing a homozygous recessive female (sd sd) with a homozygous dominant male (+ +) would result in all heterozygous offspring (sd +) in the F₁ generation, all showing the dominant (normal) phenotype. For part (b), crossing a heterozygous male (sd +) with a homozygous dominant female (+ +) would result in a 1:1 phenotypic ratio of normal to scalloped offspring in the F₂ generation, regardless of sex.

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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
X-linked Inheritance
X-linked inheritance refers to the pattern of inheritance for genes located on the X chromosome. In Drosophila, males have one X and one Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes. This means that X-linked recessive traits, like the scalloped mutation, will manifest in males if they inherit the affected X, while females may be carriers if they have one affected X and one normal X.
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Punnett Square
A Punnett square is a diagram used to predict the genotypes of offspring from a genetic cross. It allows for the visualization of how alleles from each parent combine, helping to determine the probability of inheriting specific traits. In this case, constructing Punnett squares for the crosses will illustrate the inheritance patterns of the scalloped mutation in both F₁ and F₂ generations.
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Autosomal vs. X-linked Genes
Autosomal genes are located on non-sex chromosomes and are inherited equally by both sexes, while X-linked genes are located on the X chromosome and exhibit different inheritance patterns based on sex. If the scalloped gene were autosomal, both males and females would express the trait equally if they inherited the recessive allele, unlike the X-linked scenario where males are more likely to express the trait due to having only one X chromosome.
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