What are structural alterations in chromosomes?
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Structural alterations involve changes such as deletion, inversion, duplication, or translocation of chromosome segments during cell division.
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What are structural alterations in chromosomes?
Structural alterations involve changes such as deletion, inversion, duplication, or translocation of chromosome segments during cell division.
What is a frameshift mutation?
A frameshift mutation is the result of insertions or deletions that alter the reading frame of the triplet codons, thereby altering translation and the structure and function of the protein product.
What happens during the final configuration of a frameshift mutation?
The final configuration of a frameshift mutation results in an abnormal amino acid chain due to the altered reading frame, which can lead to a dysfunctional protein.
What are the mechanisms of DNA repair?
The mechanisms include base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair, and DNA mismatch repair.
What happens in lysosomal storage diseases at the cellular level?
In lysosomal storage diseases, a deficiency or dysfunction of lysosomal enzymes leads to the accumulation of insoluble intermediates in lysosomes, causing cellular dysfunction.
What is the role of telomeres in somatic cells?
Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes from deterioration and fusion with adjacent chromosomes.
What is the unique feature of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) inheritance?
Mitochondrial DNA is inherited exclusively from the mother, as only ova contribute mtDNA to offspring.
What role do environmental factors play in single-gene disorders?
Environmental factors such as excessive exposure to ultraviolet light, radiation, or certain chemicals can cause mutations in DNA.
What are enzyme defects in single-gene disorders?
Mutations may result in the synthesis of a defective enzyme with reduced activity or in a reduced amount of a normal enzyme, leading to intracellular accumulation of substrates or products of alternative pathways, which can be cytotoxic.
What is required for an animal to be affected by autosomal recessive disorders?
Both alleles at a given gene locus must be mutated.
What are posttranslational modifications?
Posttranslational modifications include chemical changes of amino acid side chains, the addition of carbohydrate moieties, or proteolytic cleavage of polypeptides.
What are the three broad categories of genetic disorders?
What is nondisjunction and its significance in chromosomal disorders?
Nondisjunction is the failure of chromosome pairs to separate during cell division, leading to an abnormal number of chromosomes in cells.
How do mutations in somatic cells differ from those in germ cells?
Mutations in somatic cells are not heritable and are important in tumor genesis, while mutations in germ cells can be transmitted to progeny and lead to inherited diseases.
What can happen to affected cells if they reexpress telomerase?
They can escape the bridge-fusion-breakage cycle, but this enhances tumorigenesis due to chromosomal instability.
What is the significance of protein networks in cellular functions?
Individual proteins in a proteome do not function in isolation; they form networks that respond to various signals, contributing to diverse cellular functions.
What are the roles of mRNA and tRNA in protein biosynthesis?
mRNA (messenger RNA) carries the genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where tRNA (transfer RNA) brings the corresponding amino acids to form a protein.
What are some examples of X-linked recessive disorders in animals?
Examples include Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy and agammaglobulinemia.
What characterizes complex multigenic disorders?
Complex multigenic disorders arise from interactions between gene variants and environmental factors, with no single gene being solely responsible for the disease.
What is the genetic basis of X-linked muscular dystrophy?
It is caused by defects in the dystrophin gene, which codes for a membrane-associated cytoskeletal protein in skeletal and cardiac muscle.
What causes single-gene disorders?
Single-gene disorders are caused by mutations in DNA of a single gene, such as point, frameshift, and trinucleotide-repeat mutations.
What is aneuploidy?
Aneuploidy refers to an abnormal karyotype resulting from errors in meiosis or mitosis, leading to either extra or fewer chromosomes.
What is the inheritance pattern of autosomal recessive disorders in animals?
Autosomal recessive disorders have a 25% chance of being inherited by offspring from heterozygous parents, with homozygous animals usually exhibiting clinical disease early in life.
What is mosaicism and how can it occur?
Mosaicism is the presence of two or more populations of cells with different karyotypes in the same organism, often resulting from mitotic errors.
Why are male animals more likely to be affected by X-linked recessive disorders?
Male animals have only one X chromosome, making them more susceptible to X-linked recessive disorders, while females typically require mutations from both parents to be affected.
What are some enzyme deficiencies associated with glycogen storage diseases?
Enzyme deficiencies include glycogen synthase, muscle glycogen phosphorylase, liver glycogen phosphorylase, and glucose-6-phosphatase.
What is a missense mutation?
A missense mutation is a base-pair substitution that changes the mRNA codons, resulting in a different amino acid being incorporated into the protein, altering its synthesis.
How do frameshift mutations affect protein synthesis?
Frameshift mutations alter the reading frame of codons, which changes the sequence of amino acids in the resulting protein, potentially leading to an abnormal protein structure and function.
What are the two types of cell division and their primary functions?
Mitosis is somatic cell division for growth and tissue regeneration, while meiosis occurs in germline cells to produce ova or spermatozoa.
What happens to somatic cells that do not express telomerase after 50-60 divisions?
Their telomeres are significantly shortened, leading to cell senescence or death.
What occurs if active checkpoints fail in somatic cells?
DNA-repair pathways are inappropriately activated, resulting in the formation of dicentric chromosomes.
What is the difference between somatic and germline cells in the context of genetic disorders?
Somatic cells are mitotic and disorders involving them are not heritable, while germline cells are meiotic and disorders can be inherited.
What is a silent mutation?
A silent mutation is a base-pair substitution that changes the mRNA codons but does not affect the amino acid sequence of the resulting protein.
How many different proteins can be encoded by the estimated 20,000 genes?
It is estimated that 20,000 genes can encode as many as a million different proteins.
What are lysosomal storage diseases characterized by?
A deficiency of lysosomal acid hydrolases leading to incomplete breakdown of substrates and accumulation of partially degraded insoluble metabolites within lysosomes.
What is the inheritance pattern of autosomal dominant disorders?
Only one allele of a mutated gene is necessary for disease, meaning if one parent carries a mutated allele, each offspring has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation.
What is a nonsense mutation?
A nonsense mutation is a base-pair substitution that changes the mRNA codons to a 'stop' code, prematurely halting the synthesis of the polypeptide chain.
What is the consequence of the bridge-fusion-breakage cycle in cells?
It leads to substantial chromosomal instability and numerous mutations.
What distinguishes single-gene disorders of mitochondria from Mendelian disorders?
Single-gene disorders of mitochondria may exhibit non-Mendelian inheritance patterns influenced by factors like trinucleotide-repeat mutations and genomic imprinting.
What are the potential outcomes of mutations in single-gene disorders?
What is an example of a glycogen storage disease?
Glycogenosis type III (Cori’s disease), caused by a deficiency of an enzyme involved in glycogen degradation, resulting in the accumulation of structurally abnormal glycogen within hepatocytes.