Assignment question

• Define Meiosis and Mitosis (4 marks). What are the

differences between meiosis and mitosis (16 marks).

• Instructions:
– Use at least three (3) references (books or journal articles).
– Not more than two pages typed (Font 12, Times New Romans, 1.5
spacing).
– Due Date: 5th August, 2014 (14.00hrs, when coming for class)
MENDELIAN GENETICS
 Mendelian Genetics
 Gregor Mendel published the results of his genetic
studies on the garden pea in 1866

 He laid the foundation of modern genetics.

 Mendel is sometimes referred to as the “Father of

Genetics”
Mendel’s genius: two innovations to the science of
genetics:

1. Developed pure lines - a population that breeds

true for a particular trait

2. Counted his results and kept statistical notes

 Mendel's pea plants exhibited the following
phenotypes:

- round or wrinkled seed phenotype

- yellow or green seed phenotype

- red or white flower phenotype

- tall or dwarf plant phenotype

 Basic genetic principles proposed by Mendel.

1. Principle of segregation

2. Principle of independent assortment

 Principle of segregation
• States that during gamete formation each member
of the allelic pair separates from the other member
to form the genetic constitution of the gamete (e.g.
Aa)

• Meaning from any one parent, only one allelic form

of a gene is transmitted through a gamete to the
offspring.
 Principle of segregation
• For example, a plant which had a factor (or gene)
for round-shaped seed and also an allele for
wrinkled-shaped seed would transmit only one of
these two alleles through a gamete to its offspring.
Principle of segregation
Principle of segregation
 Confirmation of Mendel's First Law
Hypothesis
• With these observations, Mendel could form a
hypothesis about segregation.

1.To test this hypothesis, Mendel selfed the F2 plants.

• If his law was correct he could predict what the

results would be.
 Confirmation of Mendel's First Law Hypothesis
• 2. Mendel performed a backcross to further confirm his
first law - Mendel crossed it to a pure line, homozygote
dwarf plant

• Backcross One or (BC1) Phenotypes: 1 Tall : 1 Dwarf

• BC1 Genotypes: 1 Dd : 1 dd
Definitions of backcross and testcross
• Backcross - the cross of an F1 hybrid to one of the
homozygous parents; for pea plant height the cross
would be Dd x DD or Dd x dd; most often, though a
backcross is a cross to a fully recessive parent

• Testcross - the cross of any individual to a

homozygous recessive parent; used to determine if
the individual is homozygous dominant or
heterozygous
Definitions of backcross and testcross
• Monohybrid cross - a cross between parents that
differ at a single gene pair (usually AA x aa)

• Monohybrid - the offspring of two parents that are

homozygous for alternate alleles of a gene pair

• Remember --- a monohybrid cross is not the cross

of two monohybrids.
 2. Principle of independent assortment

• States that -- the segregation of one factor pair

occurs independently of any other factor pair
(AABB)

• This is only true when; one homologous pair of

chromosomes are the seed shape alleles and on
another pair of homologues are the alleles for
green and yellow seed color.
 2. Principle of independent assortment
• The segregation of the seed shape alleles occurs
independently of the segregation of the seed color
alleles because each pair of homologues behaves as
an independent unit during meiosis.

• Furthermore, because the orientation of bivalents

on the first meiotic metaphase plate is completely
at random, four combinations of factors could be
found in the meiotic products: (1) round-yellow, (2)
wrinkled-green, (3) round-green, (4) wrinkled
yellow.
Definition of some terms

• Dihybrid cross - a cross between two parents that

differ by two pairs of alleles (AABB x aabb)

• Dihybrid- an individual heterozygous for two pairs

of alleles (AaBb)

• Again a dihybrid cross is not a cross between two

dihybrids.
Now let us perform a dihybrid cross

• Parental Cross: Yellow, Round Seed x Green, Wrinkled Seed

• Choose Symbol Seed Color: Yellow = G; Green = g

• Seed Shape: Round = W; Wrinkled = w

• F1 Generation: All yellow, round

Lets us symbols

Cross the F1 gamates to get F2 using a Punnett square

End of Mendelian genetics
 Next topic:

Chromosome basis of heredity