Description

GENE201 Module 1 M1D1: What genes are associated with my inherited traits?

We inherit some traits from our mother and some traits from our father. But why don’t we inherit the same traits as our siblings? In the first discussion you will explore a phenotypic trait you have and instigate the known genetics behind it.

The blue prints for you, everything from your hair color to the size of your big toe nail, is contained in your genome. Also contained in your genome is the possibility of a predisposition (not as we saw in the Plague Protector: Defective Gene (Links to an external site.)) to a disease state. You inherited your genes from your parents however they may or may not have the same phenotype as you. Remember, we get one copy of the blueprints from our mother and one from our father. In this discussion you will describe a phenotype of you or someone you know and research the genetics and possible environmental factors that are associated it. (Also remember, phenotype is the result of genotype and the environment.)

Let’s get started by visiting the National Institute of Health (NIH) and explore its phenotype database.

NIH Genetics Home Reference (Links to an external site.)

Here you can search for a phenotype that you are interested in. Information about the genes associated with it and links to research article are also available.

For this discussion, please address the following questions:

What is the phenotype you are investigating?
Do all family members, including siblings and potentially cousins, express this variation?
Are there other variations of this phenotype expressed?
What genes are associated with it?
Which chromosome are the genes located on?
How frequently is this phenotype observed?
What is the inheritance pattern?
Are there other names for this inheritance pattern?

Click on “Additional information and Resources”
Summarize at least one of the scientific articles that are listed on Pub Med.
Are there still questions that need to be investigated regarding this phenotype?
Do you agree or disagree with the conclusions presented in the research article?
Why or why not?
References:

Films on Demand. (2 November 2009). Plague Protector: Defective Gene (Links to an external site.) [Video 3:55 mins]. The Silent Killer: SARS. 2 November 2009. https://vlib.excelsior.edu/login?url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=103647&xtid=40571&loid=65983 : 2008
NIH Genetics Home Reference (Links to an external site.). 2018. https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/ : 2018

You are encouraged to practice using the Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition; 2010) of formatting and Evidence Explained (3rd edition; 2015) citations within your submission. However, you will not be graded on your ability to use these formatting methods.