Unit 2: Patterns of Inheritance

Activity 4: “How is colorblindness transmitted?”

27 March 2023

Professor: MD. in ECh. Miguel Alberto López Sánchez

Student’s name: Fátima Preciado García
College tuition: 110195501
UVM e-mail: a110195501@my.uvm.edu.mx
Subject: Biology II
Semester: 4th. Group: 45BB
Bicultural Highschool
 2

Universidad del Valle de México

Preparatoria UVM
Bicultural Highschool

How is colorblindness transmitted?

Preciado García, F.
Universidad del Valle de México.
ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Keywords
Color blindness is typically an inherited condition that affects a
Inherited person's ability to distinguish between certain colors. It is caused by
Cone cells an alteration or deficiency in the cone cells of the retina, which are
Retina responsible for detecting different wavelengths of light and
X-linked inheritance allowing us to see color.
Genes
X chromosome Color blindness is most commonly passed down from parents to
Prevalence their children through an X-linked inheritance pattern. This means
Males that the genes responsible for producing the cone cells are located
Females on the X chromosome, one of the two sex chromosomes. Females
Mutated gene have two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y
Spontaneous mutation chromosome.

If a woman carries a mutated gene on one of her X chromosomes,

she is considered a carrier of color blindness. If she has a son, there
is a 50% chance that he will inherit the altered gene and be color
blind. If she has a daughter, the daughter has a 50% chance of also
becoming a carrier of the condition.

If a man has a mutated gene on his X chromosome, he will be color

blind because he does not have a second X chromosome to
compensate for the mutation. If he has children, all of his daughters
will be carriers of the condition, but none of his sons will be
affected because he only passes on his Y chromosome to his male
children.

It is also possible for color blindness to occur due to a spontaneous

mutation that is not inherited from either parent. However, this is a
rare occurrence.

Color blindness is a genetic condition
that affects a person's ability to distinguish
between certain colors. It is typically an
inherited condition that is caused by
alterations or deficiencies in the cone cells
of the retina, which are responsible for
detecting different wavelengths of light
and allowing us to see color. In most cases,
color blindness is passed down from
parents to their children through an X-
linked inheritance pattern, which means
that the genes responsible for producing
the cone cells are located on the X
chromosome. This results in a higher
prevalence of color blindness in males
than in females, as males only have one X
chromosome and are more likely to inherit
a mutated gene. However, it is also
possible for color blindness to occur due to
a spontaneous mutation that is not
inherited from either parent.
Name, P. E. Y. (s. f.-c). Colblindor – All
about Color Blindness.
https://www.color-blindness.com/
Methods and materials
- 3 white beans
- 1 black bean
1- Copy the data table below into your
notebook.
2- Label one plastic cup Mother and a colorblind = 20%
second plastic cup Father.
3- The white beans represent X b. How many males were colorblind?
chromosomes.
• Use a black marker to make a dot
on each of 2 white beans. The dot Percentage of males who were
represents the X-linked allele for colorblind = 30%
colorblindness.
1
• Place 1 marked bean into each
plastic cup.
4- Place 1 more white bean into the
cup labeled Mother.
5- Red beans represent
Y chromosomes. Place 1
red bean into the cup labeled
Father.
6- Close your eyes and pick one bean
from each cup. This represents
how each parent contributes a sex
chromosome to a fertilized egg.
7- Record the data about the beans
you picked.
8- Record the colors of the 2 beans in
your data table.
9- Record the sex of an individual who
would carry this pair of sex
chromosomes.
10- Record how many X-linked alleles
the individual has.
11- Put the beans back in the cups they
came from.
12- Determine whether the individual
would have colorblindness.
Results
How many females were colorblind?
Number of colorblind females = 20
Percentage of females who were
Number of colorblind males = 30
Discussion
Color blindness is usually an inherited
condition caused by mutations in genes
that are responsible for the production or
functioning of the photopigments in the
cone cells of the eye. These photopigments
are responsible for detecting specific
wavelengths of light and allowing us to see
different colors.
There are three types of cone cells in the
retina of the eye, each containing a
different photopigment that is sensitive to
either red, green, or blue light. The most
common type of color blindness is called
red-green color blindness, which occurs
when the genes responsible for the red and
green photopigments are mutated or
absent.
Color blindness is usually passed down
from parents to their children through a
recessive inheritance pattern. This means
that both parents must carry the mutated
gene for their child to develop color
blindness. If only one parent carries the
gene, the child will not develop color
blindness but will be a carrier of the
condition.
The X chromosome carries the genes
that control the production of the
photopigments in the cone cells. Since
males have only one X chromosome, they
are more likely to develop color blindness
if the gene on their X chromosome is
mutated. Females, on the other hand, have
two X chromosomes, so they are less
likely to develop color blindness because
they would need to inherit two copies of
the mutated gene (one from each parent).
Overall, color blindness is a genetic
condition that is transmitted through the
inheritance of mutated genes from parents
to their offspring.
Conclusions
In conclusion, color blindness is a
genetic condition caused by mutations in
the genes responsible for the production or
functioning of the photopigments in the
cone cells of the eye. The most common
type of color blindness is red-green color
blindness, which is passed down through a
recessive inheritance pattern. Males are
more likely to develop color blindness
than females because they have only one
X chromosome, and the genes responsible
for color vision are located on the X
chromosome. While there is no cure for
color blindness, certain technologies and
tools, such as color filters and digital color
correction, can help individuals with color
blindness distinguish between colors more
effectively.
References
G. (2017, 5 enero). Is Color Blindness
Hereditary? Grosinger, Spigelman
& Grey.
https://www.eyemichigan.com/is-
color-blindness-hereditary/
Starr, B. (2022, 12 febrero). Can a female
get color-blindness from her
father’s side? The Tech
Interactive.
https://www.thetech.org/ask-a-
geneticist/ask80
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