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Ch. 7 - Linkage and Chromosome Mapping in Eukaryotes
Klug - Essentials of Genetics 10th Edition
Klug10th EditionEssentials of GeneticsISBN: 9780135588789Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 7, Problem 16

Drosophila females homozygous for the third chromosomal genes pink and ebony (the same genes from Problem 16) were crossed with males homozygous for the second chromosomal gene dumpy. Because these genes are recessive, all offspring were wild type (normal). F1 females were testcrossed to triply recessive males. If we assume that the two linked genes, pink and ebony, are 20 mu apart, predict the results of this cross. If the reciprocal cross were made (F1 males—where no crossing over occurs—with triply recessive females), how would the results vary, if at all?

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Identify the genotypes of the parental flies: The females are homozygous recessive for pink and ebony on chromosome 3 (pp ee) and wild type for dumpy on chromosome 2 (DD), while the males are homozygous recessive for dumpy (dd) and wild type for pink and ebony (P E).
Determine the F1 genotype: Since pink and ebony are recessive and on the same chromosome, and dumpy is on a different chromosome, the F1 females will be heterozygous for pink and ebony (Pp Ee) and heterozygous for dumpy (Dd). Because the parents are homozygous recessive for different genes, all F1 offspring will be phenotypically wild type.
Understand the testcross: The F1 females (Pp Ee Dd) are testcrossed to males homozygous recessive for all three genes (p e d). Since pink and ebony are linked with a recombination frequency of 20 mu (20%), calculate the expected frequency of parental and recombinant gametes from the F1 females.
Calculate gamete types from F1 females: For the linked pink and ebony genes, 80% of gametes will be parental types (P E and p e) and 20% recombinant types (P e and p E). For the unlinked dumpy gene, assume independent assortment, so half the gametes will carry D and half d.
Predict offspring phenotypes: Combine the gametes from F1 females with the recessive testcross male gametes (p e d) to determine the expected phenotypic ratios. For the reciprocal cross with F1 males (where no crossing over occurs), only parental types will be produced, so recombinant phenotypes will be absent.

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Key Concepts

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

Genetic Linkage and Recombination Frequency

Genetic linkage occurs when two genes are located close together on the same chromosome and tend to be inherited together. The recombination frequency, measured in map units (mu), indicates the likelihood of crossing over between these genes; 20 mu means a 20% chance of recombination. This concept helps predict offspring genotypes based on parental gene arrangements.
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Testcross and Its Purpose

A testcross involves crossing an individual with a dominant phenotype but unknown genotype to a homozygous recessive individual. This reveals the genotype of the tested individual by analyzing offspring phenotypes, especially useful for detecting recombination events between linked genes.
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Sex Differences in Recombination in Drosophila

In Drosophila, crossing over occurs only in females, not in males. Therefore, recombination frequencies and offspring genotype ratios differ depending on whether the female or male parent carries the heterozygous chromosomes. This affects predictions of genetic outcomes in reciprocal crosses.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

In Drosophila, a cross was made between females, all expressing the three X-linked recessive traits scute bristles (sc), sable body (s), and vermilion eyes (v)—and wild-type males. In the F₁, all females were wild type, while all males expressed all three mutant traits. The cross was carried to the F₂ generation, and 1000 offspring were counted, with the results shown in the following table.

No determination of sex was made in the data. Calculate the coefficient of coincidence. Does it represent positive or negative interference?

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Textbook Question

Drosophila melanogaster has one pair of sex chromosomes (XX or XY) and three pairs of autosomes, referred to as chromosomes II, III, and IV. A genetics student discovered a male fly with very short (sh) legs. Using this male, the student was able to establish a pure breeding stock of this mutant and found that it was recessive. She then incorporated the mutant into a stock containing the recessive gene black (b, body color located on chromosome II) and the recessive gene pink (p, eye color located on chromosome III). A female from the homozygous black, pink, short stock was then mated to a wild-type male. The F1 males of this cross were all wild type and were then backcrossed to the homozygous b, p, sh females. The F2 results appeared as shown in the following table. No other phenotypes were observed.

Based on these results, the student was able to assign short to a linkage group (a chromosome). Which one was it? Include your step-by-step reasoning.

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Textbook Question

Drosophila melanogaster has one pair of sex chromosomes (XX or XY) and three pairs of autosomes, referred to as chromosomes II, III, and IV. A genetics student discovered a male fly with very short (sh) legs. Using this male, the student was able to establish a pure breeding stock of this mutant and found that it was recessive. She then incorporated the mutant into a stock containing the recessive gene black (b, body color located on chromosome II) and the recessive gene pink (p, eye color located on chromosome III). A female from the homozygous black, pink, short stock was then mated to a wild-type male. The F₁ males of this cross were all wild type and were then backcrossed to the homozygous b, p, sh females. The F₂ results appeared as shown in the following table.

The student repeated the experiment, making the reciprocal cross, with F₁ females backcrossed to homozygous b, p, sh males. She observed that 85 percent of the offspring fell into the given classes, but that 15 percent of the offspring were equally divided among b + p, b + +, + sh p, and + sh + phenotypic males and females. How can these results be explained, and what information can be derived from the data?

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Textbook Question

In Drosophila, two mutations, Stubble (Sb) and curled (cu), are linked on chromosome III. Stubble is a dominant gene that is lethal in a homozygous state, and curled is a recessive gene. If a female of the genotype

is to be mated to detect recombinants among her offspring, what male genotype would you choose as a mate?

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Textbook Question

A female of genotype

produces 100 meiotic tetrads. Of these, 68 show no crossover events. Of the remaining 32, 20 show a crossover between a and b, 10 show a crossover between b and c, and 2 show a double crossover between a and b and between b and c. Of the 400 gametes produced, how many of each of the 8 different genotypes will be produced? Assuming the order a–b–c and the allele arrangement previously shown, what is the map distance between these loci?

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Textbook Question

In a certain plant, fruit is either red or yellow, and fruit shape is either oval or long. Red and oval are the dominant traits. Two plants, both heterozygous for these traits, were testcrossed, with the following results.

Determine the location of the genes relative to one another and the genotypes of the two parental plants.

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