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IGCSE Biology CIE 

17. Inheritance

CONTENTS
17.1 Inheritance & Cell Division
17.1.1 Definitions
17.1.2 Inheritance of Sex
17.1.3 Protein Synthesis
17.1.4 Cell Division
17.2 Inheritance of Characteristics
17.2.1 Monohybrid Inheritance
17.2.2 Codominance & Sex-Linked Characteristics

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17.1 Inheritance & Cell Division YOUR NOTES


17.1.1 Definitions
Defining Inheritance & Related Terms
Inheritance is the transmission of genetic information from generation to
generation
Chromosomes are located in the nucleus of cells
They are thread-like structures of DNA, carrying genetic information in the form
of genes
A gene is a short length of DNA found on a chromosome that codes for a specific
protein
This could be a structural protein such as collagen found in skin cells, an enzyme
or a hormone
Genes control our characteristics as they code for proteins that play important
roles in what our cells do

Genes are short lengths of DNA that code for a protein. They are found on
chromosomes

Allelesare different versions of a particular gene. The ABO gene for blood group
type has three alleles, IA, IB and IO

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Diploid & Haploid Nuclei YOUR NOTES

All humans have 23 different chromosomes in each cell 
In most body cells, not including the gametes (sex cells), we have 2 copies of each
chromosome, leading to a total of 46 chromosomes
Nuclei with two sets of chromosomes are known as diploid nuclei
The gametes (egg and sperm cells) only have one copy of each chromosome,
meaning they have a total of 23 chromosomes in each cell
Nuclei with one set of unpaired chromosomes are known as haploid nuclei

 Exam Tip
An easy way to remember the difference between haploid and diploid is to
remember:Haploid = Half the normal number of chromosomesIt’s worth
noting that the human diploid chromosome number is 46. In an exam, you
may be given information about a different species, with a different number
of chromosomes. Make sure you read exam questions carefully.

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17.1.2 Inheritance of Sex YOUR NOTES


XX & XY Chromosomes
Sex is determined by an entire chromosome pair (as opposed to most other
characteristics that are just determined by one or a number of genes)
Females have the sex chromosomes XX
Males have the sex chromosomes XY
As only a father can pass on a Y chromosome, he is responsible for determining
the sex of the child

Sperm cells determine the sex of offspring

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The inheritance of sex can be shown using a genetic diagram (known as a Punnett YOUR NOTES
square), with the X and Y chromosomes taking the place of the alleles usually

written in the boxes

Punnett square showing the inheritance of sex

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17.1.3 Protein Synthesis YOUR NOTES


Transcription & Translation

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YOUR NOTES


Protein synthesis

Proteins are made by ribosomes with the sequence of amino acids controlled by
the sequence of bases contained within DNA
DNA cannot travel out of the nucleus to the ribosomes (it is far too big to pass
through a nuclear pore) so the base code of each gene is transcribed onto an RNA
molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA).
mRNA then moves out of the nucleus and attaches to a ribosome
The ribosome ‘reads’ the code on the mRNA in groups of three
Each triplet of bases codes for a specific amino acid
In this way the ribosome translates the sequence of bases into a sequence of
amino acids that make up a protein
Once the amino acid chain has been assembled, it is released from the ribosome
so it can fold and form the final structure of the protein

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The triplet code of DNA (carried by mRNA) is read by the ribosome and amino acids YOUR NOTES
are attached together in a specific sequence to form the protein


In this way, DNA controls cell function by controlling the production of proteins
The proteins may be enzymes, antibodies, or receptors for neurotransmitters
Although all body cells in an organism contain the same genes, many genes in a
particular cell are not expressed because the cell only makes the specific
proteins it needs

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17.1.4 Cell Division YOUR NOTES


Mitosis: Basics
Most body cells have two copies of each chromosome
We describe these cells as diploid
When cells divide their chromosomes double beforehand
This ensures that when the cell splits in two, each new cell still has two copies of
each chromosome (is still diploid)
This type of cell division is used for growth, repair of damaged tissues,
replacement of cells and asexual reproduction and is known as mitosis
Mitosis is defined as nuclear division giving rise to genetically identical cells

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Mitosis YOUR NOTES



The process of cell division by mitosis

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Process: YOUR NOTES

Just before mitosis, each chromosome in the nucleus copies itself exactly (forms x 
- shaped chromosomes)
Chromosomes line up along the centre of the cell where cell fibers pull them apart
The cell divides into two; each new cell has a copy of each of the chromosomes
Importance:

All cells in the body (excluding gametes) are produced by mitosis of the zygote
Mitosis is important for replacing cells e.g, skin cells, red blood cells and for
allowing growth (production of new cells e.g. when a zygote divides to form an
embryo)
Occurs in:
Growth: mitosis produces new cells
Repair: to replace damaged or dead cells
Asexual reproduction: mitosis produces offspring that are genetically identical to
the parent

Stem Cells
Many tissues in the human body contain a small number of unspecialised cells
These are called stem cells and their function is to divide by mitosis and produce
new daughter cells that can become specialised within the tissue and be used for
different functions

Meiosis: Basics
Meiosis is a type of nuclear division that gives rise to cells that are genetically
different
It is used to produce the gametes (sex cells)

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Meiosis YOUR NOTES

The number of chromosomes must be halved when the gametes (sex cells) are 
formed
Otherwise there would be double the number of chromosomes after they join at
fertilisation in the zygote (fertilized egg)
This halving occurs during meiosis, and so it is described as a reduction division
in which the chromosome number is halved from diploid to haploid, resulting in
genetically different cells
It starts with chromosomes doubling themselves as in mitosis and lining up in the
centre of the cell
After this has happened the cells divide twice so that only one copy of each
chromosome passes to each gamete
We describe gametes as being haploid - having half the normal number of
chromosomes
Because of this double division, meiosis produces four haploid cells

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

The process of cell division by meiosis to produce haploid gamete cells

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YOUR NOTES
Process: 

Each chromosome makes identical copies of itself (forming X-shaped

chromosomes)
First division: chromosomes pair up along the centre of the cell, recombination
occurs and then cell fibres will pull the pairs apart, each new cell will have one of
each recombinant chromosome pair
Second division: chromosomes will line up along the centre of the cell, cell fibres
will pull them apart (as with mitosis)
A total of four haploid daughter cells will be produced
Importance:
Production of gametes e.g. sperm cells and egg cells, pollen grains and ovum
Increases genetic variation of offspring

Meiosis produces variation by forming new combinations of maternal and paternal

chromosomes every time a gamete is made, meaning that when gametes fuse
randomly at fertilisation, each offspring will be different from any others

Differences between Mitosis & Meiosis

 Exam Tip
Questions on cell division often ask for differences between mitosis and
meiosis. Learn two or three and remember to BE SPECIFIC when giving your
answer.You should also know the reasons for a specific type of cell division
taking place and the types of cells where each happen.

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17.2 Inheritance of Characteristics YOUR NOTES


17.2.1 Monohybrid Inheritance
Inheritance Definitions
A gene is a short length of DNA found on a chromosome that codes for a particular
characteristic (expressed by the formation of different proteins)
Alleles are variations of the same gene

As we have two copies of each chromosome, we have two copies of each gene and
therefore two alleles for each gene
One of the alleles is inherited from the mother and the other from the father
This means that the alleles do not have to ‘say’ the same thing
For example, an individual has two copies of the gene for eye colour but one allele
could code for brown eyes and one allele could code for blue eyes
The observable characteristics of an organism (seen just by looking - like eye
colour, or found – like blood type) is called the phenotype
The combination of alleles that control each characteristic is called the genotype
Alleles can be dominant or recessive
A dominant allele only needs to be inherited from one parent in order for the
characteristic to show up in the phenotype
A recessive allele needs to be inherited from both parents in order for the
characteristic to show up in the phenotype.
If there is only one recessive allele, it will remain hidden and the dominant
characteristic will show
If the two alleles of a gene are the same, we describe the individual as being
homozygous (homo = same)
An individual could be homozygous dominant (having two copies of the dominant
allele), or homozygous recessive (having two copies of the recessive allele)
If the two alleles of a gene are different, we describe the individual as being
heterozygous (hetero = different)
When completing genetic diagrams, alleles are abbreviated to single letters
The dominant allele is given a capital letter and the recessive allele is given the
same letter, but lower case

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

Alleles of a gene can carry the same instructions or different instructions. You can
only inherit two alleles for each gene, and they can be the same or different

We cannot always tell the genotype of an individual for a particular characteristic

just by looking at the phenotype – a phenotype associated with a dominant allele
will be seen in both a dominant homozygous and a dominant heterozygous
genotype
If two individuals who are both identically homozygous for a particular
characteristic are bred together, they will produce offspring with exactly the same
genotype and phenotype as the parents - we describe them as being ‘pure
breeding’ as they will always produce offspring with the same characteristics
A heterozygous individual can pass on different alleles for the same characteristic
each time it is bred with any other individual and can therefore produce offspring
with a different genotype and phenotype than the parents - as such,
heterozygous individuals are not pure breeding

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Genetic Diagrams YOUR NOTES

Monohybrid inheritance is the inheritance of characteristics controlled by a single 
gene (mono = one)
This can be determined using a genetic diagram known as a Punnett square
A Punnett square diagram shows the possible combinations of alleles that could
be produced in the offspring
From this the ratio of these combinations can be worked out
Remember the dominant allele is shown using a capital letter and the recessive
allele is shown using the same letter but lower case

Example:

The height of pea plants is controlled by a single gene that has two alleles: tall and
short
The tall allele is dominant and is shown as T
The small allele is recessive and is shown as t
‘Show the possible allele combinations of the offspring produced when a pure
breeding short plant is bred with a pure breeding tall plant’

The term ‘pure breeding’ indicates that the individual is homozygous for that
characteristic

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

A pure-breeding genetic cross in pea plants

This shows that there is a 100% chance that all the offspring will be tall
‘Show the possible allele combinations of the offspring produced when two of the
offspring from the first cross are bred together’

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

A genetic cross diagram (F2 Generation)

All of the offspring of the first cross have the same genotype, Tt (heterozygous), so
the possible combinations of offspring bred from these are:
There is more variation in this cross, with a 3:1 ratio of tall : short, meaning each
offspring has a 75% chance of being tall and a 25% chance of being short
The F2 generation is produced when the offspring of the F1 generation (pure-
breeding parents) are allowed to interbreed
‘Show the results of crossing a heterozygous plant with a short plant’
The heterozygous plant will be tall with the genotype Tt

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The short plant is showing the recessive phenotype and so must be homozygous YOUR NOTES
recessive - tt 
The results of this cross are as follows:

A cross between a heterozygous plant with a short plant

In this cross, there is a 1:1 ratio of tall to short, meaning a 50% chance of the
offspring being tall and a 50% chance of the offspring being short

How to construct Punnett squares

Determine the parental genotypes

Select a letter that has a clearly different lower case, for example: Aa, Bb, Dd
Split the alleles for each parent and add them to the Punnett square around the
outside
Fill in the middle four squares of the Punnett square to work out the possible
genetic combinations in the offspring

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You may be asked to comment on the ratio of different allele combinations in the YOUR NOTES
offspring, calculate a percentage chances of offspring showing a specific 
characteristic or just determine the phenotypes of the offspring
Completing a Punnett square allows you to predict the probability of different
outcomes from monohybrid crosses

 Exam Tip
You should always write the dominant allele first, followed by the recessive
allele.If you are asked to use your own letters to represent the alleles in a
Punnett square, try to choose a letter that is obviously different as a capital
than the lower case so the examiner is not left in any doubt as to which is
dominant and which is recessive.For example, C and c are not very different
from each other, whereas A and a are!

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Identifying an Unknown Genotype YOUR NOTES

Breeders can use a test cross to find out the genotype of an organism showing the 
dominant phenotype
This involves crossing the unknown individual with an individual showing the
recessive phenotype - if the individual is showing the recessive phenotype, then its
genotype must be homozygous recessive
By looking at the ratio of phenotypes in the offspring, we can tell whether the
unknown individual is homozygous dominant or heterozygous

‘A plant breeder has a tall plant of unknown genotype. How can they find out
whether it is homozygous dominant or heterozygous?’

The short plant is showing the recessive phenotype and so must be homozygous
recessive - tt

Determining genotypes from offspring

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YOUR NOTES
If the tall plant is homozygous dominant, all offspring produced will be tall 
If the tall plant is heterozygous, half the offspring will be tall and the other half
will be short

Family Pedigrees
Family pedigree diagrams are usually used to trace the pattern of inheritance of a
specific characteristic (usually a disease) through generations of a family
This can be used to work out the probability that someone in the family will inherit
the genetic disorder

A family pedigree chart

Males are indicated by the square shape and females are represented by circles
Affected individuals are red and unaffected are blue
Horizontal lines between males and females show that they have produced
children (which are shown underneath each couple)
The family pedigree above shows:
both males and females are affected
every generation has affected individuals
That there is one family group that has no affected parents or children
the other two families have one affected parent and affected children as well

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17.2.2 Codominance & Sex-Linked Characteristics YOUR NOTES


Codominance
Inheritance of blood group is an example of codominance
There are three alleles of the gene governing this instead of the usual two
Alleles IA and IB are codominant, but both are dominant to IO
I represents the gene and the superscript A, B and O represent the alleles
IA results in the production of antigen A in the blood
IB results in the production of antigen B in the blood
IO results in no antigens being produced in the blood
These three possible alleles can give us the following genotypes and phenotypes:

We can use genetic diagrams to predict the outcome of crosses that involve
codominant alleles:
‘Show how a parent with blood group A and a parent with blood group B can
produce offspring with blood group O’

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YOUR NOTES


Punnett square showing the inheritance of Blood Group

The parent with blood group A has the genotype IAIO

The parent with the blood group B has the genotype IBIO
We know these are their genotypes (as opposed to both being homozygous) as
they are able to produce a child with blood group O and so the child must have
inherited an allele for group O from each parent
Parents with these blood types have a 25% chance of producing a child with blood
type O

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Sex-Linked Characteristics YOUR NOTES

When alleles that control a particular characteristic are found on the sex 
chromosomes, we describe the inheritance that results as ‘sex linked’
In almost all cases, there are only alleles on the X chromosome as the Y
chromosome is much smaller
Because males only have one X chromosome, they are much more likely to show
sex-linked recessive conditions (such as red-green colour blindness and
haemophilia)
Females, having two copies of the X chromosome, are likely to inherit one
dominant allele that masks the effect of the recessive allele
A female with one recessive allele masked in this way is known as a carrier; she
doesn’t have the disease, but she has a 50% chance of passing it on to her
offspring
If that offspring is a male, he will have the disease
The results of a cross between a normal male and a female who is a carrier for
colourblindness is as follows:

Punnett square showing the inheritance of colourblindness, an X-linked condition

In the cross above, there is a 25% chance of producing a male who is colourblind, a
25% chance of producing a female carrier, a 25% chance of producing a normal
female and a 25% chance of producing a normal male

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