Individuals who are deletion heterozygotes have a greatly increased risk of losing both copies of certain genes and developing cancer.One such disease in humans is
A) triplolethal.
B) scarlet eyes.
C) retinoblastoma.
D) cataracts.
E) sickle cell anemia.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Deletion heterozygotes have one functional copy and one deleted copy of a gene. In the case of retinoblastoma, the RB1 gene on chromosome 13 is affected. If the remaining functional copy of the RB1 gene is lost, the individual has a greatly increased risk of developing retinoblastoma, a cancerous tumor of the retina. This is an example of a tumor suppressor gene, where loss of function can lead to cancer.

Individuals Who Are Deletion Heterozygotes Have a Greatly Increased Risk