Down's syndrome is caused by an extra copy of chromosome number 21. What percentage of offspring produced by an affected mother and a normal father would be affected by this disorder?
- 50%
- 100%
- 75%
- 25%
Answer
(1) 50%
Solution
An affected mother has three copies of chromosome 21 (trisomy 21).
⇒ At meiosis, half of her eggs receive two copies of chromosome 21 (n + 1) and half receive one copy (n).
Normal father ⇒ all sperms carry one copy (n).
∴ Egg (n + 1) × sperm (n) gives 2n + 1 (Down's syndrome) in 12 of the offspring, i.e. 50%.
Answer: (1)