Patti is passing on a mutated gene on her X chromosome. Why is her son more likely to express the mutation in his phenotype than her daughter is?
A)Males are more likely to inherit the bad copy of a gene whenever there is one.
B)Males do not have a second X chromosome that might have a good copy of the gene.
C)Estrogen will silence a mutated gene once her daughter experiences puberty.
D)Her daughter's Y chromosome will probably have a good copy of that gene to offset the bad one.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Males only have one X chromosome. Therefore, if they inherit a mutated gene on their X chromosome, they do not have a second X chromosome to compensate with a healthy copy of the gene. Whereas, females have two X chromosomes, so even if one is mutated, there is still a chance that the other X chromosome may have a healthy copy of the gene.

Patti Is Passing on a Mutated Gene on Her X