Polydactyly

• What is the inherited disorder discussed in this video?

  Polydactyly II
• What is a characteristic of polydactyly II?

  Extra fingers or toes
• What type of allele causes polydactyly II?

  Dominant allele
• Can a person be a carrier of the polydactyly allele?

  No, you cannot be a carrier
• What is embryo screening used for?

  To test for inherited disorder alleles
• What happens to embryos that do not have defective alleles?

  They are implanted into the woman
• What is a major ethical concern regarding embryo screening?

  Destruction of healthy embryos
• What is a potential future application of embryo screening?

  Producing offspring with desirable features
• What is gene therapy?

  Correcting faulty alleles to treat disorders
• Is gene therapy currently widely used?

  No, it is still experimental
• What are the issues surrounding embryo screening?

  • Expensive process
  • Ethical concerns about embryo destruction
  • Potential for selecting desirable traits
• What are the differences between polydactyly II and cystic fibrosis?

  • Polydactyly II: extra fingers/toes, dominant allele
  • Cystic fibrosis: respiratory issues, recessive allele
• What are the characteristics of dominant alleles?

  • Expressed in phenotype with one copy
  • Cannot be carriers
  • Masks effects of recessive alleles