BS2026: Genes, Development & Inheritance; Tutorial 2
Population genetics and chromosome rearrangements
Question 1
The recessive disease cystic fibrosis (CF) occurs among newborn babies in the UK at a frequency of 1 in 2,500. Given this information and assuming that the population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium:
a) What is the frequency of the recessive CF allele in the general population?
b) What is the frequency of heterozygotes in the general population?
These estimates can be useful in calculating the risk that a child will have the disease. What is the probability that an affected child will be born in each of the following situations?:
c) One parent is affected (has CF) and the other parent has no family history of the disease.
d) The parents are unrelated and neither has a family history of the disease.
e) One parent is heterozygous for a CF allele; the other parent has no known family history of cystic fibrosis.