SEX INHERITANCE
Somatic Cells GERMINAL CELLS
Chromosomes
Autosomal
Sex chromosomes
How many types of Sex determination
systems
XY system Inhuman Female XX and Male XY
ZW system Poultry female is ZW and Male ZZ
Genic balance/weight of genetic material
In some insect species Chr no. determines sex
e.g. 2n= 14 is female and 2n=13 is male or X = 1.5 than XX = 3 female and 1.5 = male
If sex chromosomes are different: Heterogametic
If sex chromosomes of same type: Hemazygous/homogametic
Homologous pairs of Human Genome
Male
Female
Sex inheritance in Humans
Four types of sex inheritance effects observed in humans
Sex linked traits
Sex influenced traits
Sex limited traits
Holandric traits
Pairing of Sex Chromosomes
Sex Linked X
or X-linked
Holandric
Y genes
Sex limited traits are on
autosomes usually and are The genes in this pairing
gender specific region behave like
normal homologous
autosome gene pairs
and are sex influenced
Sex influenced
Baldness trait in humans
Gene Woman Man
BB Bald Bald
Bb Non-bald Bald
bb Non-bald Non-bald
Sex linkage
1902, McClung in species of grasshopper found unpaired chromosome in male
McClung linked it with determination of sex in living organisms
Steven and Wilson found same situation in Drosophila melanogaster
1906 Doncastor illustrated 1st case of sex linkage in body colour of moth Abraxis
In 1909, T.H. Morgan and his associates contributed wealth of information
His team also uncovered fundamental principles of inheritance which firmly established
genetics as a scientific discipline what we see know.
Bridges settled many confused points and gave insight into several other basic genetic
phenomena
Sex Linked Traits
Colour blindness is sex linked trait and gene B resides on X chromosome
Woman Normal × Man colour blindness
XBXB XbY Girl Normal × Male normal vision
XB Xb Y XBXb XBY
XB Xb XB Y
XBXb Girl normal vision
XBXB XBXb
XB Y Boy normal vision Female normal Female normal
All children normal vision XBY Xb Y
Male normal
Criss-cross inheritance Male colour blind
When male transfer its trait through his All females normal
daughter into the grandson but 50% male normal and 50% colourblind
Sex linked trait in poultry
Barred dominant over Non-barred/Black Female barred × Male non-barred
B_ Male and female barred ZBW ZbZb
bb Male and female non-barred ZB W Zb
ZBZb Male barred
ZbW Female non-barred
In poultry female is heterogametic = ZW
Male is homogametic = ZZ
Sex linked trait in poultry
Female non-barred × Male barred
ZbW ZBZb
Zb W ZB Zb
ZB Zb ZBW
Male barred Female barred
Zb Zb ZbW
Male non-barred Female non-barred
Phenotypic ratio Genotypic ratio = 1:1:1:1
Half Male and half female barred
Half Male and half female non-barred
Eye colour inheritance in fruitfly
♀ Red eye × ♂ white eyed
XWXw XwY Bridges termed these
XW Xw Xw Y as exceptional
individuals
XWXw XwXw
♀ Red eyed ♀ White eyed
XWY XwY
♂ Red eyed ♂ White eyed Genotypic ratio = 1:1:1:1
Phenotypic ratio
50% progeny red eyed and 50% white eyed
Half female & male red eyed and other half white eyed
Nondisjunction
Bridges ‘s hypothesis of the origin of the unexpected/exceptional offsprings
was cytologically proved
He coined the term nondisjunction: failure of the homologous chromosomes
to separate at anaphase of meiosis
It also occurs in mitosis when both chromatid tend to stay in one daughter
cell
e.g. there are XX pairs during gamete formation ‘X’ will be in each gamete
But when non-disjunction ‘XX’ stay together in one gamete the other
gamete will have no X, absent while all other autosomes are normally sorted
‘XY’ under normal condition two types of gamete ‘X’ and ‘Y’
Under non-disjunction ‘XY’ stick together and the other gamete will be empty
Nondisjunction Case-I
♀ white eyed × ♂ Red eyed
XwXw XWY
Xw Xw Xw 0 XW Y
XWXw XWXwXw (dies) XW 0
♀ Red eyed Super ♀ red eyed ♂ Red eyed no Y
XWY XwXwY 0Y
♂ Red eyed ♀ White eyed ♂ dies
Nondisjunction Case-II
♀ white eyed with Y × ♂ Red eyed
XwXw Y XWY
Xw , Xw Y, Xw Xw , Y XW Y
XWXw XWXwY XWXwXw (dies) XW Y
♀ Red eyed ♀ red eyed Super ♀ red eyed ♂ Red eyed
XWY XwYY XwXwY YY
♂ White eyed ♂ White eyed ♀ White eyed Does not develop
