Given that an individual is a compound heterozygote at the CFTR locus, the gene that causes cystic fibrosis, what can be inferred?
A)If the individual has children, all the children will have cystic fibrosis.
B)At least one of the individual's parents had cystic fibrosis.
C)The individual is a carrier for cystic fibrosis, but does not have the disease.
D)A drug that effectively treats one allele may not treat the other.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Being a compound heterozygote means the individual has two different mutant alleles at the CFTR locus, one from each parent. This can lead to cystic fibrosis if both mutations cause dysfunction of the CFTR protein. However, because the mutations are different, a drug targeting the specific mutation of one allele might not be effective for the other, hence D is correct. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect assumptions based on the information given.

Given That an Individual Is a Compound Heterozygote at the CFTR