Briefly summarize the processes of mitosis and meiosis indicating where the simi

Question

Briefly summarize the processes of mitosis and meiosis indicating where the similarities lie and in which aspects they differ.  mention the primary reason for each type of cell division by indicating the roles that mitosis and meiosis play in human reproduction and development.

 Explain what is meant by the term ‘linked genes’ with respect to homologous recombination.  For example, if an organism is heterozygous at two genetic loci on the same chromosome, in what way does the position of these alleles with respect to each other affect how they are transmitted to gametes during meiosis?

 You have read that chromosomes carry the basic genetic information required for all of our cells.  Chromosomal abnormalities are the cause of various health conditions and can occur in both germline and in somatic cells.

Identify the different types of chromosomal abnormalities that can lead to disease (e.g. insertions) and in a sentence or two, describe a disorder associated with one of these aberrations.

Explanation / Answer

Mitosis is the equational division occurring inthe somatic or body cells leading to the multiplication of cells. The daughter cells produced are identical to the parents with the same number of chromosomes. While Meiosis; is the reductional division that takes place in the reproductive cells of an organism, producing gametes that are haploid i.e. having half the number of chromosomes than that of parents. Thus the cells produced in meiosis are different from parents. The gametes so produced by meiosis fuse to produce zygote and restore the diploid condition of the species. The zygote; which is single celled develops into an embryo and then fetus by mitosis.

Linked genes are those genes that are close to each other on a chromosome and hence not separated during homologous recombination in meiosis. Thus these genes are inherited together. In an organism that is heterozygous at two genetic loci on the same chromosome, it is the position of these alleles that will control their transmission. If the alleles are close and next to each other they will be inhered together, but if they are at a distance they will be separated during recombination in meiosis.

The different types of chromosomal abnormalities that can lead to diseases are:

Down syndrome; due to an extra copy of chromosome 21st pair of chromosome.

Williams syndrome: due to the deletion of genetic material from chromosome 7, coding for the gene elastin

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