Non-Mendelian

Genetics:
Genes that don’t
obey Mendel’s
laws
 2 Types of Human Chromosomes
1. Autosomes- Contain genes that code for traits
unrelated to the sex of the individual.
Somatic cells (non-sex cells) have 22 pairs
(44) of these.
• All of the genes studied thus far have been
on autosomes.
2. Sex Chromosomes- Contain genes that code
for the sex of the individual as well as other
traits. Somatic cells have 1 pair (2) of these.
• Male- XY
• Female- XX
 Sex-Linked Traits
- X-linked disorders include Hemophilia (bleeding disease)
and color-blindness. These are both recessive traits.
- Males have 1 x sex chromosome; therefore, it only takes
that one x to be affected to make the male have a x-linked
disease
- X-linked disorders show up rarely in females because
both of the x sex chromosomes must be recessive.
- Y-linked disorders include male baldness and some forms
of infertility.
- Females cannot have Y-linked disorders.
Click and choose the button

Consanguineous
Marriage
Colorblindness Tests
Sex-linked Punnett Square Problems
1. Hemophilia is a recessive trait linked to
the x sex chromosome. What are the
genotypic/phenotypic ratios of a cross
between a carrier female and a normal
male?
2. Red-green colorblindness is a recessive trait
linked to the x sex chromosome. A red-green
colorblind female and a normal male have a child.
What is the probability (regardless of gender)
that it will be red-green colorblind?
3. Muscular Dystrophy is a X-linked recessive
trait. A carrier female and a normal male have
children. Will any of their children have a
chance of having this disorder? If so, list the
proportion(s), including the gender(s).
4. A woman has a brother with Hemophilia and a
mother and father who are normal. What is the
probability that this woman is a carrier if she is
normal?
 Incomplete Dominance
- This is when neither form of the gene is able
to mask the other. Instead, they
phenotypically blend together.

- An example of this is snapdragon petal color:

- R1R1 – RED
- R2R2 - WHITE
- R1R2 – PINK
In a plant species, if the B1 allele (blue flowers)
and the B2 allele (white flowers) are incompletely
dominant (B1B2 is light blue), what offspring ratio
is expected in a cross between a blue-flowered
plant and a white-flowered plant?
Using the information from the previous
question, what would be the phenotypic ratio
of the flowers produced by a cross between
two light blue flowers?
Oompas can have red (H1H1), blue (H2H2), or purple
hair (H1H2). The allele that controls this is
incompletely dominant. A purple haired Oompa
marries a blue haired Oompa. What are the
phenotypic and genotypic ratios of their offspring?
 Codominance
• Neither allele is dominant and both alleles
show up individually in the phenotype.
• Ex. Cat color
• TT– Tan
• TB – Tabby (black and tan spotted)
• BB - Black
 Cattle can be red (RR = all red hairs), white
(WW = all white hairs), or roan (RW = red &
white hairs together.
a. Predict the phenotypic ratios of offspring when
a white cow is crossed with a roan bull.
b. What should the genotypes & phenotypes for
parent cattle be if a farmer wanted only cattle
with roan fur?
 A cross between a black cat & a tan cat produces
a tabby pattern (black & tan fur together).
a. What is the phenotypic ratio of kittens if a tabby
cat is crossed with a black cat?
 Multiple Alleles
• Some traits have more than 2 forms of the
gene.
• An example of this in humans is blood type.

ABO blood groups

– Each individual is A, B, AB, or O phenotype
– A and B alleles are dominant to O.
– A and B alleles are codominant to each other.
 Blood Types
Blood Type: Genotype
• A • AA or Ao
• B • BB or Bo
• AB • AB
• O • oo
If a male is homozygous for blood type B
and a female is heterozygous for blood
type A, what are the possible blood types
of the offspring?
Is it possible for a child with Type O blood
to be born to a mother who is type AB?
Why or why not?
A child is type AB. His biological mother is
also type AB. What are the possible
phenotypes of his biological father?
 Rh Surface Protein
• In addition to the “A” and “B” proteins on the surface of red
blood cells, there is another protein called “Rh”. It is called
this because it was first discovered in the blood of the rhesus
monkey.
• If a person’s red cells have the Rh protein, then they are
typed “positive”.
• If a person’s red cells lack the Rh protein, then they are
typed “negative”.
• Having the Rh protein is dominant to lacking it.
– The genotype for Rh+ is either RR or Rr.
– The genotype for Rh- is rr.
Identify the blood types
How is a person’s blood type
determined?
• When an incompatible blood type enters a
person’s body, the immune system produces
antibodies to fight the blood cells. Antibodies
bind to the A, B and/or Rh proteins on the
surface and cause the blood to clump. This
clumping is called agglutination.
• Blood types are determined by mixing a
blood sample with antibodies to see if
clumping occurs.
 A-Anti B-Anti Rh-Anti Blood Type?

Agglutination
A man who is blood type B+(heterozygous for
both traits) mates with a woman who is O-.
What are the genotypic and phenotypic ratios?
 A mom who is heterozygous (for both traits) A+ and a
dad who is heterozygous (for both traits) B+ have a
child who is AB-. The dad accuses the mom of an
affair and questions if the baby is his. Is it possible that
he is the father? If so, what is the probability that they
would have an AB- child?
 Gene Interactions
• Sometimes the expression of one gene can
affect the expression of other genes in an
organism.
• These interactions were not predicted by
Mendel’s Laws.
• Examples of this are epistasis and pleiotropy.
 Epistasis
• Epistasis is the interaction of two or more
genes to control a single phenotype.
• Usually 1 gene controls the expression of
another gene.
• Example: A labrador retriever’s coat color
is controlled by two alleles:
• A dominant allele “B” will produce
black pigment while the recessive
allele “b” produces brown pigment.
• The dominant allele “E” turns on the
“B” or “b” allele.
 Labrador Retrievers

• BBEE, BBEe, BbEE and BbEe --> Black retrievers

• bbEE and bbEe --> Brown retrievers
• BBee, Bbee, or bbee --> Golden retrievers
 Epistasis Problem:
• What is the
phenotypic ratio if
you crossed two
labradors that are
heterozygous,
BbEe, for these two
genes?
Epistasis Problem - Solution
 Pleiotropy ?
• Expression of a single gene
which has multiple
phenotypic effects
• Marfan Syndrome – mutated
form of the gene for fibrillin.
• This gene can affect the
heart (aorta), height, chest
structure, flexibility of joints,
length of fingers, etc.
Environmental Influence on Phenotype
• The environment can affect an organism’s
phenotype.
• Examples:
– Soil acidity affects the color of hydrangea flowers.
– Temperature affects the color of the fur in
Himalayan rabbits.
– Gender of clownfish is dependent on the “need”
for males/females for reproduction. They are all
born male but may become female if necessary.