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Ch. 4 - Extensions of Mendelian Genetics
Klug - Concepts of Genetics  12th Edition
Klug12th EditionConcepts of Genetics ISBN: 9780135564776Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 4, Problem 28a

While vermilion is X-linked in Drosophila and causes the eye color to be bright red, brown is an autosomal recessive mutation that causes the eye to be brown. Flies carrying both mutations lose all pigmentation and are white-eyed. Predict the F₁ and F₂ results of the following crosses:
vermilion females x brown males

Verified step by step guidance
1
Identify the genotypes of the parental flies. Since vermilion is X-linked, vermilion females will have the vermilion allele on both X chromosomes (X^v X^v), and brown males will have the brown autosomal recessive genotype (bb) and a normal X chromosome (X^+ Y).
Determine the possible gametes produced by each parent. Vermilion females produce eggs with X^v chromosomes, and brown males produce sperm with either X^+ or Y chromosomes and autosomal alleles b for brown.
Predict the F₁ genotypes by combining the gametes. Since vermilion is X-linked, all female offspring will inherit one X^v from the mother and one X^+ from the father, making them carriers (X^v X^+), and all male offspring will inherit X^v from the mother and Y from the father (X^v Y). For the autosomal brown gene, all offspring will be heterozygous (Bb) because the mother is assumed to be wild type (BB or Bb) and the father is bb.
For the F₂ generation, perform a dihybrid cross using the F₁ genotypes: females X^v X^+ Bb crossed with males X^v Y Bb. Set up a Punnett square for both the X-linked vermilion gene and the autosomal brown gene to determine all possible genotype combinations.
Analyze the phenotypes of the F₂ offspring based on the genotypes: vermilion (X^v) causes bright red eyes in hemizygous males and homozygous females; brown (bb) causes brown eyes; flies with both vermilion and brown mutations (X^v and bb) have white eyes due to loss of pigmentation. Use this information to predict the ratios of eye color phenotypes in the F₂ generation.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

X-linked Inheritance

X-linked inheritance refers to genes located on the X chromosome. In Drosophila, males have one X and one Y chromosome, so a single recessive mutation on the X chromosome will express the trait in males. Females have two X chromosomes, so they can be carriers if heterozygous. This pattern affects the inheritance and expression of the vermilion eye color mutation.
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Guided course
09:30
X-Inactivation

Autosomal Recessive Inheritance

Autosomal recessive inheritance involves genes on non-sex chromosomes where two copies of the recessive allele are needed to express the trait. The brown eye color mutation is autosomal recessive, so flies must inherit two brown alleles to show brown eyes. Heterozygotes appear normal, affecting the phenotypic ratios in offspring.
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Autosomal Pedigrees

Epistasis and Interaction of Multiple Genes

Epistasis occurs when one gene masks or modifies the expression of another gene. Here, the combination of vermilion (X-linked) and brown (autosomal recessive) mutations results in white eyes due to loss of pigmentation. Understanding how these genes interact is essential to predict phenotypes in F₁ and F₂ generations.
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Interacting Genes Overview
Related Practice
Textbook Question

In Drosophila, an X-linked recessive mutation, scalloped (sd), causes irregular wing margins. Diagram the F₁ and F₂ results if (a) a scalloped female is crossed with a normal male; (b) a scalloped male is crossed with a normal female. Compare these results with those that would be obtained if the scalloped gene were autosomal.

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Textbook Question

Another recessive mutation in Drosophila, ebony (e), is on an autosome (chromosome 3) and causes darkening of the body compared with wild-type flies. What phenotypic F₁ and F₂ male and female ratios will result if a scalloped-winged female with normal body color is crossed with a normal-winged ebony male?

Work out this problem by both the Punnett square method and the forked-line method.

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Textbook Question

In Drosophila, the X-linked recessive mutation vermilion (v) causes bright red eyes, in contrast to the brick-red eyes of wild type. A separate autosomal recessive mutation, suppressor of vermilion (su-v), causes flies homozygous or hemizygous for v to have wild-type eyes. In the absence of vermilion alleles, su-v has no effect on eye color. Determine the F₁ and F₂ phenotypic ratios from a cross between a female with wild-type alleles at the vermilion locus, but who is homozygous for su-v, with a vermilion male who has wild-type alleles at the su-v locus.

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Textbook Question

While vermilion is X-linked in Drosophila and causes the eye color to be bright red, brown is an autosomal recessive mutation that causes the eye to be brown. Flies carrying both mutations lose all pigmentation and are white-eyed. Predict the F₁ and F₂ results of the following crosses:

brown females x vermilion males

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Textbook Question

While vermilion is X-linked in Drosophila and causes the eye color to be bright red, brown is an autosomal recessive mutation that causes the eye to be brown. Flies carrying both mutations lose all pigmentation and are white-eyed. Predict the F₁ and F₂ results of the following crosses:

white females x wild-type males

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Textbook Question

In a cross in Drosophila involving the X-linked recessive eye mutation white and the autosomally linked recessive eye mutation sepia (resulting in a dark eye), predict the F₁ and F₂ results of crossing true-breeding parents of the following phenotypes: Note that white is epistatic to the expression of sepia.

white females x sepia males

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