Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Why are males more affected by sex-linked traits?

Why are males affected by sex-linked traits than females? I'm not 100% sure but I'm pretty sure is had to do with girls having 2 X chromosomes so if the guys X chromosome has some disorder then for sure they have it but....I just want to be sure... Thanks, if you answer.

Why are males more affected by sex-linked traits?
Yes, you are correct.





Sex-linked traits are genes that are encoded on the X chromosome. For example, color-blindness is associated with the X chromosome. A female is not likely to exhibit color-blindness because she has two X chromosomes. If one X chromosome carries the bad gene, the other X chromosome most likely carries the normal version of the gene.





Males, on the other hand, only have one X chromosome. The Y chromosome does not contain a normal gene that deals with color-blindness. So, if a male has a defective X chromosome, he automatically has the disease because there is not another X chromosome with the normal version of the gene.
Reply:Yes, you are on the right track. See below for more details.


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