Question

Antigens on red blood cells are hereditary traits that allow blood to be typed in different ways. One system is based on a gene with two alleles, M and N. If the frequency of the M allele in a population is 0.4, then according to the Hardy-Weinberg rule, the expected frequency of the heterozygous MN genotype is ___.

1) 0.16
2) 0.24
3) 0.36
4) 0.48
5) 0.6

Answer 1

According to the Hardy-Weinberg rule, when the frequency of allele M is 0.4, the expected frequency of the heterozygous MN genotype is 0.48.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the Hardy-Weinberg rule, the expected frequency of the heterozygous MN genotype can be calculated using the equation 2pq, where 'p' represents the frequency of one allele (M) and 'q' represents the frequency of the other allele (N). Given that the frequency of the M allele (p) is 0.4, the frequency of the N allele (q) would be 1 - p, which equals 0.6. Hence, the expected frequency of the MN genotype is 2(0.4)(0.6), which equals 0.48.