Segregation & Independent Assortment
Unlinked genes segregate independently as a result of meiosis
- Unlinked genes are genes that an organism carries on separate chromosomes
- Not on homologous copies of the same chromosome
- An example of a pair of unlinked genes in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) is
- The gene for curly wings on chromosome 2, and
- The gene for mahogany eyes on chromosome 3
- An example of a pair of unlinked genes in humans is
- The gene for trypsin (a stomach enzyme) on chromosome 7, and
- The gene for human growth hormone on chromosome 17
- Assortment of chromosomes refers to their alignment in metaphase I of meiosis
- Each bivalent assorts (aligns) itself independently of all the others
- Segregation of chromosomes (i.e. how they get separated) is governed by their pattern of assortment
- Segregation just refers to which pole of the cell the whole chromosomes are pulled to in anaphase I
- Segregation determines which combinations of alleles end up in which gamete cells by the end of meiosis II
- We call this Mendel's Law of Independent Assortment which states that
- alleles of different genes are inherited independently of one another; in other words inheriting a particular allele for one gene doesn't affect the ability to inherit any other allele for another gene
- By contrast, linked genes (on the same chromosome) tend to be inherited together
Linked and unlinked genes diagram
The loci of selected genes in the human genome
Trypsin and CFTR are linked genes (both on the same chromosome);
Human Growth Hormone and trypsin are unlinked genes (both on different chromosomes)