Polydactyl

• What is the inherited disorder discussed in this video?

  Polydactyly II
• What are the characteristics of polydactyly II?

  • Extra fingers or toes
  • Caused by a dominant allele
• What does it mean to have a dominant allele?

  It means that one copy of the allele is sufficient to express the characteristic.
• Can a person be a carrier of the polydactyly allele?

  No, you cannot be a carrier of a dominant allele.
• How would you describe the genetic cross between a heterozygous man and a homozygous normal woman for polydactyly?

  • Man: Heterozygous for polydactyly (Pp)
  • Woman: Homozygous normal (pp)
  • Offspring: 50% heterozygous (Pp) with polydactyly, 50% homozygous normal (pp) without polydactyly
  • Ratio: 1:1
• What is the expected ratio of offspring with polydactyly to those without in the described genetic cross?

  1:1
• What is embryo screening?

  It is the process of testing embryos for inherited disorder alleles.
• What are some ethical issues surrounding embryo screening?

  • High cost of screening
  • Destruction of healthy embryos
  • Potential for selecting desirable traits
• Why do some people oppose embryo screening?

  Because it raises ethical concerns about embryo destruction and trait selection.
• What is gene therapy?

  It is a method to correct faulty alleles to treat inherited disorders.
• Is gene therapy currently a standard treatment?

  No, it is still experimental.