1.

Sex-linked traits
• Sex-linked diseases are passed down through families through one of the X or Y chromosomes.

• Dominant inheritance occurs when an abnormal gene from one parent causes disease, even though
the matching gene from the other parent is normal. The abnormal gene dominates.

• But in recessive inheritance, both matching genes must be abnormal to cause disease. If only one
gene in the pair is abnormal, the disease does not occur or it is mild. Someone who has one abnormal
gene (but no symptoms) is called a carrier. Carriers can pass abnormal genes to their children.

• The term "sex-linked recessive" most often refers to X-linked recessive.

• Only females can be carriers for X-linked conditions. As a result, X-linked recessive diseases most
often occur in males. A single recessive gene on that X chromosome will cause the disease. However,
both females and males inherit and can experience sex-linked disorders.
• The Y chromosome is the other half of the XY gene pair in the male. However, the Y chromosome
doesn't contain most of the genes of the X chromosome. Because of that, it doesn't protect the
male. Diseases such as haemophilia and colour blindness occur from a recessive gene on the X
chromosome.
2. Patterns for X-linked Recessive Inheritance
• The trait is more common in males than in females.
• If a mother has the trait, all of her sons should also have it.
• There is no male to male transmission.
• It has the same inheritance patterns as autosomal recessive for
human females.
• The son of a female carrier has a 50 percent chance of having the
trait.
• Mothers of males who have the trait are either heterozygous carriers
or homozygous and express the trait.
! Remember:

• The father passes his X sex chromosome (and all its genes) to his
daughters and his Y sex chromosome (with its genes) to his sons.
• Genes act in pairs, one from each parent for the females. For this
mode of inheritance, males get their gene for the trait from their
mother.