Asked by Daria
. Describe one example of a trait that could be affected by a sex-linked gene and explain why
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Example: red–green color blindness (a common form of color vision deficiency).
Why: the genes for the red and green photopigments (opsins) are located on the X chromosome. Because males are XY, they have only one X copy (hemizygous), so a single defective allele on that X produces the trait. Females are XX, so a defective allele is usually masked by a normal allele on the other X and the trait appears only if both X chromosomes carry the defective allele (or via skewed X‑inactivation). That produces the characteristic inheritance pattern: affected fathers cannot pass the trait to their sons but will pass the defective X to all daughters (making them carriers), and carrier mothers have a 50% chance of passing the defective X to each son (who would be affected) and a 50% chance to each daughter (who would become a carrier).
Why: the genes for the red and green photopigments (opsins) are located on the X chromosome. Because males are XY, they have only one X copy (hemizygous), so a single defective allele on that X produces the trait. Females are XX, so a defective allele is usually masked by a normal allele on the other X and the trait appears only if both X chromosomes carry the defective allele (or via skewed X‑inactivation). That produces the characteristic inheritance pattern: affected fathers cannot pass the trait to their sons but will pass the defective X to all daughters (making them carriers), and carrier mothers have a 50% chance of passing the defective X to each son (who would be affected) and a 50% chance to each daughter (who would become a carrier).
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