SEX-LINKED

TRAITS
Dorothy D. Silva
Saint Louis University
 Sex-Linked Traits
Boy or Girl? The Y Chromosome “Decides”

Y
X chromosome
chromosome
 Sex Linked Genes
• There are 23 pairs of chromosomes and
one of those pairs are the sex
chromosomes.
• There are either X chromosomes or Y
chromosomes.
 Sex Linked Genes
• These
Geneschromosomes notby
that are carried only carrysex
either the
genes that determine
chromosome (X or Y)male
are and
saidfemale
to be
traits, but also those for some other
SEX LINKED
characteristics as well.
 What are Sex Linked Traits?
• In 1910, Thomas Morgan discovered traits
linked to sex chromosomes in fruit flies.

• Some genes are attached to the X and Y

chromosomes

• EXAMPLE: In humans, colorblindness and

baldness are found on the X chromosomes
 What are Sex Linked Traits?
• In Men, traits expressed anytime present
• In Women, must have two genes to show
trait
• Children inherit baldness from their
mothers
Female child will
result
Female child will
result
Punnett Square: What sex will the offspring
be?
X Y

X XX XY

X XX XY

50% chance of a male or a female

child.
 Males
• Men normally have an X and a Y
combination of sex chromosomes.
• Since only men inherit the Y chromosome,
they are the only ones that inherit Y-linked
traits.
 Females
• Women have 2 X
chromosomes
X Linked Traits
• Men and Women
can get the X-
linked traits since
both inherit X
chromosomes.
Sex inheritance patterns for male
and female children
 X Chromosome Traits
• Men only have one X chromosome
• Therefore genes on that chromosome are
expressed in the male phenotype, even if
it is a recessive gene.
 X-linked traits
• May have a dominant
In women, a recessivenormal allele
allele on on
onethex
other carriers ofisX-linked
chromosome traits buton
often masked more
their
rarely have
phenotype them expressed in their own
phenotypes
 X-linked traits
• In humans, at least
120 genes are known
to be X-linked.
• Genes for hemophilia,
red-green color
blindness, congenital
night blindness, and
Duchene muscular
dystrophy
 Red-Green Color Blindness
• X-linked
• Cannot perceive red and
green in the same
• Most often afflicts males
 Muscular Dystrophy (MD)
• Characterized by a gradual irreversible
wasting away of skeletal muscle.
• An X-linked trait most often passed on to
sons from their mothers.
• Begins to weaken the legs of boys by age
3 and gets worse every year.
• No cure and inflicted usually die by age
30.
 Y-linked Traits
• The Y chromosome is small and therefore
does not contain many genes
• Y linked diseases are very rare
• Only passed from father to son.
• Example: Male infertility
• Holandric inheritance
 Hypertrichosis Pinnae.
• Hairy ears
• Can happen later in
life.
• Y-linked
 ASMTY (which stands for acetylserotonin
methyltransferase),
 TSPY (testis-specific protein),
 IL3RAY (interleukin-3 receptor),
 SRY (sex-determining region),
 TDF (testis determining factor),
 ZFY (zinc finger protein), PRKY (protein
kinase, Y-linked),
 AMGL (amelogenin),
 CSF2RY (granulocyte-macrophage colony-
stimulating factor receptor, alpha subunit on
the Y chromosome),
Examples of
 ANT3Y (adenine nucleotide translocator-3
on the Y),
Y-linked traits
 AZF2 (azoospermia factor 2),
 BPY2 (basic protein on the Y chromosome),
 AZF1 (azoospermia factor 1),
 DAZ (deleted in azoospermia),
 RBM1 (RNA binding motif protein, Y
chromosome, family 1, member A1),
 RBM2 (RNA binding motif protein 2) and
 UTY (ubiquitously transcribed TPR gene on Y
chromosome).
THANK YOU!