7.1.3

Linkage

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Autosomal Linkage

Linkage is when genes that are close to one another on a chromosome are likely to be inherited together. Linkage shows that some allele combinations are not inherited independently of each other.

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Mendel's law

  • Mendel's law of independent assortment states that genes do not influence the sorting of alleles into gametes. This is not always the case.
  • Some allele combinations are not inherited independently of each other.
  • Genes that are located close to each other on the same chromosome are more likely to be inherited as a pair.
    • This is called linkage.
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Autosomes

  • Autosomes are all the chromosomes except the sex chromosomes (X and Y).
  • Autosomes are arranged in pairs called homologous chromosomes (one from the father and one from the mother).
  • Homologous chromosomes consist of the same genes in the same order along the chromosome.
    • There is some variation if the chromosomes have different alleles but the genes are the same.
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Recombination

  • When gametes are produced by meiosis, multiple sections of homologous chromosomes are exchanged in a process called recombination.
  • If two genes are located in close proximity on the same chromosome, they are more likely to be exchanged together and not separated in recombination.
  • The genes are more likely to be transmitted to a gamete together.
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Linkage

  • Genes that are close together on the same autosome are more likely to be transmitted to a gamete together.
  • The genes are linked. This is autosomal linkage.

Sex Linkage

Linkage is where genes that are close to one another on a chromosome are likely to be inherited together. Sex linkage is different from autosomal linkage because it takes place in the sex chromosomes.

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Sex chromosomes

  • In many organisms, the sex chromosomes (X and Y) determine the sex of an individual.
  • Sex chromosomes differ from autosomes because they are non-homologous.
  • Non-homologous chromosomes do not consist of the same genes in the same order along the chromosome.
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Y chromosome

  • Human females have a homologous pair of X chromosomes (XX) and human males are heterozygous (XY).
  • X and Y chromosomes contain a small region of similarity.
  • The Y chromosome is considerably shorter than the X chromosome and contains fewer genes.
  • If a gene is only found on the X chromosome, it is X-linked.
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X-linked genes

  • Males only have one copy of an allele for X-linked genes.
  • There is no allele for the same gene on the Y chromosome. This is called hemizygosity.
  • Hemizygosity means that there is no role of dominance and recessiveness.
    • If a recessive gene is inherited on the X chromosome, it will always be present in the phenotype as it is the only allele present.
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Haemophilia

  • Haemophilia is a blood disorder that is X-linked.
  • Humans males only need to inherit one recessive mutant X allele to be affected by the disorder but females must inherit two copies of the recessive allele.
    • This means haemophilia is more common in males.
  • Females can be carriers for the disorder when they are heterozygous.

Jump to other topics

1Biological Molecules

2Cells

3Substance Exchange

4Genetic Information & Variation

5Energy Transfers (A2 only)

6Responding to Change (A2 only)

7Genetics & Ecosystems (A2 only)

8The Control of Gene Expression (A2 only)

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