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Ch. 3 - Cell Division and Chromosome Heredity
Sanders - Genetic Analysis: An Integrated Approach 3rd Edition
Sanders3rd EditionGenetic Analysis: An Integrated ApproachISBN: 9780135564172Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 3, Problem 14b

A wild-type male and a wild-type female Drosophila with red eyes and full wings are crossed. Their progeny are shown below.

What is/are the genotype(s) of females with purple eye? Of males with purple eye and miniature wing?

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1
Step 1: Identify the traits and their inheritance patterns. The problem involves two traits: eye color (red or purple) and wing size (full or miniature). Determine if these traits are autosomal or sex-linked based on the progeny distribution.
Step 2: Assign symbols to the alleles. For example, let 'R' represent the dominant allele for red eyes and 'r' for purple eyes. Similarly, let 'F' represent the dominant allele for full wings and 'f' for miniature wings.
Step 3: Analyze the progeny ratios. The given ratios (e.g., 3/8, 1/8) suggest Mendelian inheritance. Use these ratios to deduce the parental genotypes and the mode of inheritance (e.g., autosomal or sex-linked).
Step 4: Determine the genotype of females with purple eyes. Since purple eyes are recessive, females with purple eyes must have the genotype 'rr'. Analyze the wing trait to determine if they are 'FF', 'Ff', or 'ff' based on the progeny distribution.
Step 5: Determine the genotype of males with purple eyes and miniature wings. Since males are hemizygous for sex-linked traits, their genotype for eye color must be 'r' (if sex-linked) or 'rr' (if autosomal). For wing size, analyze the progeny ratios to determine if they are 'ff'. Combine these findings to write the full genotype.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Drosophila Genetics

Drosophila melanogaster, commonly known as fruit flies, are a model organism in genetics due to their simple genetic structure and short life cycle. They have well-defined phenotypes, such as eye color and wing size, which are controlled by specific genes. Understanding the inheritance patterns of these traits, including dominant and recessive alleles, is crucial for analyzing genetic crosses.
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Genotype and Phenotype

The genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism, while the phenotype is the observable physical or biochemical characteristics resulting from the genotype. In this context, the phenotypes of Drosophila, such as eye color (red or purple) and wing size (full or miniature), are determined by their genotypes. Identifying the genotypes of the progeny based on their phenotypes is essential for solving the question.
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Punnett Square and Mendelian Inheritance

A Punnett square is a diagram used to predict the genetic outcomes of a cross between two organisms. It illustrates how alleles segregate and combine during reproduction, following Mendelian principles of inheritance. By analyzing the ratios of offspring phenotypes, one can infer the possible genotypes of the parents and their progeny, which is key to answering the question about the genotypes of the purple-eyed Drosophila.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

In humans, hemophilia A (OMIM 306700) is an X-linked recessive disorder that affects the gene for factor VIII protein, which is essential for blood clotting. The dominant and recessive alleles for the factor VIII gene are represented by H and h. Albinism is an autosomal recessive condition that results from mutation of the gene producing tyrosinase, an enzyme in the melanin synthesis pathway. A and a represent the tyrosinase alleles. A healthy woman named Clara (II-2), whose father (I-1) has hemophilia and whose brother (II-1) has albinism, is married to a healthy man named Charles (II-3), whose parents are healthy. Charles's brother (II-5) has hemophilia, and his sister (II-4) has albinism. The pedigree is shown below.

Determine the probability that the first child of Clara and Charles will be a


i. boy with hemophilia

ii. girl with albinism

iii. healthy girl

iv. boy with both albinism and hemophilia

v. boy with albinism

vi. girl with hemophilia

Textbook Question

In humans, hemophilia A (OMIM 306700) is an X-linked recessive disorder that affects the gene for factor VIII protein, which is essential for blood clotting. The dominant and recessive alleles for the factor VIII gene are represented by H and h. Albinism is an autosomal recessive condition that results from mutation of the gene producing tyrosinase, an enzyme in the melanin synthesis pathway. A and a represent the tyrosinase alleles. A healthy woman named Clara (II-2), whose father (I-1) has hemophilia and whose brother (II-1) has albinism, is married to a healthy man named Charles (II-3), whose parents are healthy. Charles's brother (II-5) has hemophilia, and his sister (II-4) has albinism. The pedigree is shown below.

If Clara and Charles's first child has albinism, what is the chance the second child has albinism? Explain why this probability is higher than the probability you calculated in part (b).

Textbook Question

A wild-type male and a wild-type female Drosophila with red eyes and full wings are crossed. Their progeny are shown below.

Using clearly defined allele symbols of your choice, give the genotype of each parent.

Textbook Question

A woman with severe discoloration of her tooth enamel has four children with a man who has normal tooth enamel. Two of the children, a boy (B) and a girl (G), have discolored enamel. Each has a mate with normal tooth enamel and produces several children. G has six children—four boys and two girls. Two of her boys and one of her girls have discolored enamel. B has seven children—four girls and three boys. All four of his daughters have discolored enamel, but all his boys have normal enamel. Explain the inheritance of this condition.

Textbook Question

In a large metropolitan hospital, cells from newborn babies are collected and examined microscopically over a 5-year period. Among approximately 7500 newborn males, six have one Barr body in the nuclei of their somatic cells. All other newborn males have no Barr bodies. Among 7500 female infants, four have two Barr bodies in each nucleus, two have no Barr bodies, and the rest have one. What is the cause of the unusual number of Barr bodies in a small number of male and female infants?

Textbook Question

In cats, tortoiseshell coat color appears in females. A tortoiseshell coat has patches of dark brown fur and patches of orange fur that each in total cover about half the body but have a unique pattern in each female. Male cats can be either dark brown or orange, but a male cat with tortoiseshell coat is rarely produced. Two sample crosses between males and females from pure-breeding lines produced the tortoiseshell females shown.


Cross I     P: dark brown male × orange female

           F₁: orange males and tortoiseshell females

Cross II    P: orange male × dark brown female

          F₁: dark brown males and tortoiseshell females


Explain the inheritance of dark brown, orange, and tortoiseshell coat colors in cats.