Determine whether the statements below are true or false. If a statement is false, provide the correct information or revise the statement to make it correct.

If a woman is heterozygous for albinism, an autosomal recessive condition that results in the absence of skin pigment, the proportion of her gametes carrying the allele that allows pigment expression is expected to be 75%.

Key Concepts

Heterozygosity

Heterozygosity refers to the presence of two different alleles at a specific gene locus. In the context of albinism, which is an autosomal recessive condition, a heterozygous individual carries one normal allele and one mutated allele. This genetic makeup influences the expression of traits, as the normal allele can mask the effects of the recessive allele.

Gamete Formation and Allele Distribution

During gamete formation, specifically through the process of meiosis, alleles segregate so that each gamete receives only one allele from each gene pair. For a heterozygous individual (e.g., Aa), the gametes will carry either the dominant allele (A) or the recessive allele (a) in equal proportions, resulting in 50% of the gametes carrying the allele for pigment expression.

Autosomal Recessive Inheritance

Autosomal recessive inheritance means that two copies of a recessive allele are necessary for the expression of a trait. In the case of albinism, an individual must inherit two copies of the recessive allele (aa) to exhibit the condition. A heterozygous individual (Aa) will not express albinism but can pass the recessive allele to offspring, making it crucial to understand allele ratios in gametes.