Question

What are the predicted phenotypes of the male children from the union of a woman who is heterozygous for hemophilia and a man who has normal blood clotting characteristics?

Answer 1

The predicted phenotypes of the male children would be 50% chance of being a carrier of hemophilia and 50% chance of having normal blood clotting characteristics.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hemophilia is a genetic disorder that is passed down on the X chromosome. Females have two X chromosomes, so even if they inherit one mutated X chromosome from their carrier mother, they have a second normal X chromosome that can compensate for the mutation and prevent the development of hemophilia. On the other hand, males have only one X chromosome, which means that if they inherit the mutated X chromosome from their carrier mother, they will develop hemophilia. In this scenario, the woman is heterozygous for hemophilia, meaning she has one normal copy and one mutated copy of the gene. The man, on the other hand, has normal blood clotting characteristics. Therefore, the predicted phenotypes of their male children would be:

• 50% chance of being a carrier of hemophilia like their mother
• 50% chance of having normal blood clotting characteristics like their father