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Biology Name ___________________________
STUDYING PEDIGREES ACTIVITY
Introduction: A pedigree is a visual chart that depicts a family history or the transmission of a specific trait. They can be interesting to view and can be important tools in determining patterns of inheritance of specific traits. Pedigrees are used primarily by genetic counselors when helping couples decide to have children when there is evidence of a genetically inherited disorder in one or both families. They are also used when trying to determine the predisposition of someone to carry a hereditary disease for example, familial breast cancer.
The Components of a Pedigree:
Squares are used to indicate males in a family.
Circles are used to indicate females.
If the individual is “affected" by the trait (dominant or recessive) we darken the shape.
A line between a male and a female indicates a marriage or union.
A line drawn down from the marriage line indicates offspring.
Sometimes, you will see some shapes filled in only half way - this notation indicates a hybrid (heterozygous) or carrier of the trait. Not all pedigrees use this symbol, however.
Analyzing Simple Pedigrees:
A pedigree is just like a family tree except that it focuses on a specific genetic trait. A pedigree usually only shows the phenotype of each family member. With a little thought, and the hints below, you may be able to determine the genotype of each family member as well!
Hints for analyzing pedigrees:
If the individual is homozygous recessive, then both parents MUST have at least one recessive allele (parents are heterozygous or homozygous recessive).
If an individual shows the dominant trait, then at least one of the parents MUST have the dominant phenotype. This one will be pretty obvious when you look at the pedigree.
3) If both parents are homozygous recessive, then ALL offspring will be homozygous recessive.
NOTE: In a pedigree, the trait of interest can be dominant or recessive****. The majority of harmful genetic conditions are only seen when an individual is homozygous recessive - examples of conditions caused by recessive alleles include cystic fibrosis (a disease of the secretory glands, including those that make mucus and sweat), Falconi anemia (a blood disorder), albinism (a lack of pigmentation), and phenylketonuria (a metabolic disorder). Some genetic conditions are caused by dominant alleles (and may therefore be expressed in homozygous dominant or heterozygous individuals)- examples of conditions caused by dominant alleles include polydactyly (presence of extra fingers), achondroplasia (a type of dwarfism), neurofibromatosis (a nervous disorder), and a disease known as familial hypercholesterolemia in which affected individuals suffer from heart disease due to abnormally high cholesterol levels
Human Pedigrees
For Questions 1-9, use the pedigree chart shown below. Some of the labels may be used more than once.
________ 1. A male
2. A female
________ 3. A marriage
4. A person who expresses the trait 5. A person who does not express the trait 6. A connection between parents and offspring
________ 7. How many generations are shown on this chart?
Assuming the chart above is tracing the dominant trait of "White Forelock (F)" through the family. F is a tuft of white hair on the forehead.
________ 8. What is the most likely genotype of individual “A”? (FF, Ff or ff?)
________ 9. What is the most likely genotype of individual “C”? (FF, Ff or ff?)
*Example 2: Tracing the path of an autosomal dominant trait
Trait: Neurofibromatosis Forms of the trait: The dominant form is neurofibromatosis, caused by the production of an abnormal form of the protein neurofibromin. Affected individuals show spots of abnormal skin pigmentation and non-cancerous tumors that can interfere with the nervous system and cause blindness. Some tumors can convert to a cancerous form. The recessive form is a normal protein - in other words, no neurofibromatosis.
A typical pedigree for a family that carries neurofibromatosis is shown below. Note that carriers are not indicated with half-colored shapes in this chart. Use the letter "N" to indicate the dominant neurofibromatosis allele, and the letter "n" for the normal allele.
Analysis Questions:
- Is individual #1 most likely homozygous dominant or heterozygous? Explain how you can tell.
- What is the genotype of individual #3?
- Can you be sure of the genotypes of the affected siblings of individual #3? Explain.
__________________
nn
nn
nn Nn
N-
*YOUR TURN!!
Instructions:
- Draw a pedigree showing all the individuals described in the problem. (Include their names if given.)
- Label the genotypes of as many individuals in the pedigree as possible.
- Shade in half of the symbol if you know that the individual is heterozygous or a carrier.
*Draw your own Pedigree - Case study #1: Condition of Interest: Albinism Albinism is a condition in which there is a mutation in one of several possible genes, each of which helps to code for the protein melanin.. This gene is normally active in cells called melanocytes which are found in the skin and eyes. Albinism involves a significant reduction or absence of the production of melanin, giving affected individuals a lack of normal coloration to their skin/eyes. Inheritance Pattern: normal melanin protein is produced by an autosomal dominant allele; albinism results from a lack of melanin and is caused by an autosomal recessive allele. Use the letter A or a to represent dominant/recessive forms of albinism.
Two normally-pigmented parents have 3 children. The first child (a girl) and their second child (a boy) have normal pigmentation. Their third child (a girl) has albinism. That girl marries a normally pigmented male and they have four children. The first three (two girls and a boy) have normal pigmentation. Their fourth child (a girl) has albinism like her mother.
*Draw your own Pedigree - Case Study #2: Condition of Interest: Huntington's Disease (also known as HD or Huntington's chorea) Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline and dementia. Inheritance Pattern: the allele for the normal "Huntingtin" protein is autosomal recessive ; Huntington's disease is caused by an autosomal dominant allele which codes for an abnormal form of the "Huntingtin" protein. Symptoms are more severe in homozygous individuals. Use H or h to represent the alleles.
A normal man (Joseph) marries a woman (Rebecca) who is heterozygous for HD and they have four children. Two of their sons (Adam and Charles) are born healthy without HD. Charles marries a woman without HD and they have a normal daughter. Joseph and Rebecca's daughter Tasha and their last son (James) both have HD. James marries a non-HD woman whose sister and parents also do not suffer from HD. James and his wife have three children - a normal boy, a normal girl, and a son with HD.
