Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance, meiosis, Mendel's laws, sex linkage, and genetic terminology.

Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance

20th century theory that units of inheritance are carried on chromosomes.

Mendel's Laws of Heredity

Laws that describe how alleles segregate and assort independently during the formation of gametes.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half, resulting in the formation of haploid gametes.

Law of Segregation

Mendel's first law; alleles separate during gamete formation and recombine at fertilization.

Law of Independent Assortment

Mendel's second law; alleles of different genes assort independently of one another.

Aneuploidy

An abnormal number of chromosomes resulting in phenotypic changes, such as Trisomy or Triploidy.

Sex Determination

Process by which the sex of an organism is determined based on its sex chromosomes.

Turner Syndrome

A genetic condition in females where one X chromosome is missing or partially missing, resulting in phenotypic female characteristics.

Klinefelter Syndrome

A genetic condition in males characterized by an extra X chromosome, causing symptoms such as infertility.

Dosage Compensation

Mechanism that equalizes gene expression from X chromosomes in males and females.

Barr Body

Inactivated X chromosome in female mammalian cells, contributing to dosage compensation.

Sex-linked Traits

Traits that are associated with genes located on sex chromosomes.

Drosophila Melanogaster

Common fruit fly model organism used in genetic studies.

Wild-type Alleles

Normal or dominant alleles represented with a '+' superscript.

Mutant Alleles

Altered alleles that can be designated with a '-' or a number.

Non-disjunction

Failure of homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids to separate properly during cell division.

Translocation

A chromosomal abnormality caused by exchange of genetic material between non-homologous chromosomes.

Phenotype

Observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, determined by its genotype.