Genetics

 

Genetic or congenital disorder                                Genetic or familial tendencies

Genetic and environmental aspects                       Characteristics as well as disease

 

Genetic                                                          Familial tendency

Albinism                                                         Coronary heart disease

Huntington`s  chorea                                     Malignant disease

Cystic fibrosis                                                Diabetes mellitus

Tay-Sachs disease                                       Rheumatoid arthritis

Sickle cell anaemia                                      Schizophrenia

Phenylketonuria                                             Obesity

 

Chromosomes

Composed of protein and genes                            Found in the nucleus of all cells

Visible during cell division                                       46 chromosomes, 23 pairs

22 autosomes, (non-sex chromosomes).   2 gametosomes (sex chromosomes).

Male  X and Y                                                            Female X and X

44 autosomes and 2 gametosomes.                      One member of each pair from Mum one from Dad

A pair - homologous chromosomes or homologs.

 

Genes

A unit of genetic information                                    Carry the genetic code for a product

Each gene is represented twice in each cell         Two  alleles eg. blue eyes and brown eyes

 

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic  acid                                             A molecule - self replicating  eg. healing and growth

Fertilized egg - zygote

 

Dominant and recessive

Two forms -  alleles                                                   One gene is expressed and the other is not

Dominant gene - will express itself in preference to a recessive gene

Recessive gene -  only be expressed in the phenotype if both of the alleles for the specific characteristic are recessive.

Genotype                                                                   Phenotype

Expression of dominant and recessive genes

 

Homozygous and heterozygous

Homozygous  - same                                                Heterozygous - different 

 

Mitosis and meiosis

Two forms of cell division                 Mitosis  -  conservation division      Meiosis -  reduction division.

 

Mendelian inheritance 1865

Inheritance of a single characteristic                      Monohybrid inheritance 

Patterns of inheritance depend whether the gene is dominant or recessive.

 

Autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive

Dominant   - will be expressed if present

Recessive  - only expressed in the absence of a dominant gene

 

Inheritance of a dominant characteristic

Brown eye colour      Huntington`s chorea Achondroplasia         Neurofibromatosis

 

Recessive characteristic inheritance

Cystic fibrosis            Albinism         Phenylketonuria         Deafness       B Thalassaemia        Friedreich's ataxia                          Sickle cell disease                            Tay-Sachs disease

 

TERMS

Genotype

The genes present in the cells of an individual.

Phenotype 

The expression of the genes as seen in the presentation of an individual.

Recessive gene

a gene which will only be expressed in the homozygous state.

Dominant gene

a gene which will be expressed irrespective of the presence of a recessive gene.

Alleles

Two forms of the same gene.

Homozygous

when the two alleles are represented by    identical genes.

Heterozygous

when the two alleles represent different genes.

Mitosis

body cell division, chromosomal number   maintained

Meiosis

gamete cell production, chromosomal number halved

 

Sex Linked Inheritance

Sex-linked inheritance

Characteristics coded for by genes carried by the X or the Y chromosome.

44 non-sex chromosomes  autosomes                  2 sex chromosomes -  gametosomes.

female -                                  male -

 

Meiosis

Diploid cells -                                     Haploid cells -

 

Gender determination

 

 

 

 

 

Sex Linked Inheritance

 

X Linked Dominant Traits 

Vitamin D resistant rickets

 

X Linked Recessive Traits

Haemophilia              Christmas disease               Glucose - 6 - phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency Muscular dystrophy, (Duchenne`s and Becker`s)  Retinitis pigmentosa                        

Hunter`s syndrome, (mucopolysaccharidoses)                 Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus

Blue green colour blindness 

Over 100 gene defects on the X chromosome

 

Characteristics transmitted by the Y chromosome

Very uncommon        Hairy ears      Lambert type "porcupine"                Aspermatogenesis

 

Abnormalities of sex chromosome number

Additional X chromosome in males - XXY -  Klinefelter`s syndrome

XYY in men

Turner`s Syndrome - females - one X chromosome (XO)

Females 3 or 4 X chromosomes have been described

 

Prospects for future treatments

Somatic cells                         Germ line

 

Nurse in counselling families with genetic disorders

Health educator                                                         Information

How transmitted                                                        Possibilities of future children being effected

Information empowers the individual                      Informed choices about their lives

We do not make these choices an behalf of an individual.

Empathise regarding feelings                                 Right to know, or not

 

Key terms

Autosome     

a non-sex chromosome, ie. one of the 44

Factor VIII

an essential blood clotting factor deficient in haemophilia

Gamete

a sperm or egg cell, always haploid

Gametosome

sex chromosome, ie. X or Y

Gene

the coded genetic message for production of a protein

Germ line cell

a cell which gives rise to gametes for the production of the next generation

Haploid

a cell containing 23 chromosomes, half the number of a somatic cell

Homologous chromosomes

members of a pair

Homologous

the same

Locus

the position on a chromosome where a particular gene is located

Somatic cell

a normal body cell containing 46 chromosomes

 

Terms used in genetics

Allele

Chromosome

Diploid

Dominant

Gamete

Genotype

Haploid

Heterozygous

Homologous chromosome

Homozygous

Linkage

Sex linkage

Meiosis

Mitosis

Ovum

Phenotype

Recessive

Zygote

New developments in genetics

Many new developments in genetics have ethical implications

Prenatal testing

Detection of carriers

Somatic gene therapy

Germ line gene therapy

Stem cells – unipotnet, pluripotent, multipotent

Auto stem cells, e.g. myskin, teeth

Donor stem cells

Cloning

Therapeutic cloning

Human genome project

Positive eugenics

Negative eugenics

Genetic engineering

Transgenic organisms

DNA fingerprinting

Gene for criminality, intelligence, aggression

Life insurance

Right to know / not to know

Dilemmas over treatments after diagnosis – patient’s best interests v scientific progress

Animal transplantation

Diagnosis of sex

Transsexualism