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Hemophilia itself is really just a genetic disorder. It causes problems with blood coagulation and people with the disorder tend to bleed a lot if cut, hence the name "bleeders." The disorder is caused by a mutation in the factor VIII gene, leading to a deficiency in factor VIII. (Factor VIII is a protein that is associated with blood clotting.) The deficiency in the blood clotting factor causes the affected person's blood to clot improperly. The factor VIII gene is located on the X-chromosome and is transmitted by recessive inheritance. Males have an X-chromosome and and a Y-chromosome and females have two X-chromosomes. This means that females would only carry one of the mutant alleles for hemophilia and are said to be carriers. Females are usually found to be only carriers and rarely express hemophilia. Males, on the other hand, will receive one X-chromosome from their mother and a Y-chromosome from their father, leading to hemophilia.

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If you know a woman has hemophilia what can you infer about her parents genetype?

Her father has to have hemophilia as well, and the mother is a carrier or also has hemophilia. So if we pretend that the hemophilia gene is "x", you need to have "xx" to have hemophilia. The father must have the genotype "Yx" and the mother has the have "Xx" or "xx".


What is a carrier for hemophilia?

A carrier for hemophilia is a female who carries the genetic mutation for hemophilia on one of her X chromosomes, but does not exhibit symptoms of the condition herself. Carriers can pass on the gene mutation to their children, resulting in hemophilia in male offspring. Testing can confirm carrier status.


Does hemophilia result from too many or too few chromosomes?

The gene for the most well known form of hemophilia is located on the X chromosome. It is not the result of too many or too few chromosomes. A male receives only one X chromosome while the receives two X chromosomes. These gene codes for factor VIII, one of the factors within the clotting cascade. If a female inherits the mutated gene, she has a second gene on the other X chromosome. However, she is capable of passing the gene for hemophilia onto her children. Males inherit one X chromosome and so have hemophilia. This is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a complete answer.


Why is hemophilia rarely expressed in females?

Because hemophilia is a disease linked to a recessive gene on the X-chromosome, females have another X-chromosome to block out the diseased one. However, males have only one X-chromosome, so they are more often subject to hemophilia.


Can a male be a carrier for hemophilia?

The gene for hemophilia is found on the 'X' human chromosome. However it is a recessive gene so if a woman (who has two 'XX' chromosomes) has one bad 'X' and one good 'X' she will not have hemophilia but will be a carrier .If she has female children and their father is not a hemophiliac, then half of her daughters may carry the bad 'X' chromosome but non will manifest the disease.However, if her children are male then her sons will have an 'X' chromosome inherited from her and a 'Y' chromosome inherited form the father and there is a 50% chance that the 'X' chromosome inherited will be the bad one. If the son inherits the bad 'X' he will be a hemophiliac and if he lives to father any daughters then all these daughters will be hemophilia carriers (because they must inherit his (bad) 'X' chromosome).It is possible for a woman to manifest hemophilia if the mother is a carrier and the father is a hemophiliac. In this case it is possible for a daughter to inherit the bad 'X' from the father and the mother's bad 'X' giving the daughter two bad 'X' chromosomes.

Related Questions

What chromosomes has been determined to carry this gene in hemophilia?

the X chromosome


Why Hemophilia more common in male than in female?

The genes associated with Hemophilia A and B are located on the X chromosome, which is one of the 2 sex chromosomes. For males, who have only 1 X chromosome, 1 altered copy of the gene in each cell is sufficient to cause hemophilia. In females, who have 2 X chromosomes, a mutation would have to occur in both copies of the gene to cause hemophilia. Since it is unlikely that females will have 2 altered copies of this gene it is therefor very rare for females to have hemophilia.


If you know a woman has hemophilia what can you infer about her parents genetype?

Her father has to have hemophilia as well, and the mother is a carrier or also has hemophilia. So if we pretend that the hemophilia gene is "x", you need to have "xx" to have hemophilia. The father must have the genotype "Yx" and the mother has the have "Xx" or "xx".


What do you get when you cross a male hemophiliac with a female hemophiliac?

The gene for hemophilia A is found on the X chromosome (it is a sex-linked recessive disorder). Women have two X chromosomes and men have one X chromosome. A woman with hemophilia (very rare) would have the mutated gene on both of her X chromosomes. This means that all of their children, both male and female would have hemophilia.


Which chromosome contains the gene for hemophilia?

The X chromosome. That's why it's more common in males; females have 2 X chromosomes, but males only have 1. So if a woman has the hemophilia mutation on one of her chromosomes, she probably won't be affected by it.


What do you call a change in a gene or chromosomes?

mutation


Explain why a woman carrying a gene for hemophlia can produce hemophilic sons when she is mated with a normal male?

A woman carrying a gene for hemophilia is typically a carrier with one X chromosome carrying the hemophilia gene and one X chromosome carrying the normal gene. When she is mated with a normal male who has one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, there is a 50% chance that the son will inherit the X chromosome carrying the hemophilia gene from the mother. Since males have only one X chromosome, if they inherit the hemophilia gene, they will express the disorder.


What is a carrier for hemophilia?

A carrier for hemophilia is a female who carries the genetic mutation for hemophilia on one of her X chromosomes, but does not exhibit symptoms of the condition herself. Carriers can pass on the gene mutation to their children, resulting in hemophilia in male offspring. Testing can confirm carrier status.


Why is hemophilia more common in males than in females?

The genes associated with Hemophilia A and B are located on the X chromosome, which is one of the 2 sex chromosomes. For males, who have only 1 X chromosome, 1 altered copy of the gene in each cell is sufficient to cause hemophilia. In females, who have 2 X chromosomes, a mutation would have to occur in both copies of the gene to cause hemophilia. Since it is unlikely that females will have 2 altered copies of this gene it is therefor very rare for females to have hemophilia.


Does hemophilia result from too many or too few chromosomes?

The gene for the most well known form of hemophilia is located on the X chromosome. It is not the result of too many or too few chromosomes. A male receives only one X chromosome while the receives two X chromosomes. These gene codes for factor VIII, one of the factors within the clotting cascade. If a female inherits the mutated gene, she has a second gene on the other X chromosome. However, she is capable of passing the gene for hemophilia onto her children. Males inherit one X chromosome and so have hemophilia. This is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a complete answer.


Why is hemophilia rarely expressed in females?

Because hemophilia is a disease linked to a recessive gene on the X-chromosome, females have another X-chromosome to block out the diseased one. However, males have only one X-chromosome, so they are more often subject to hemophilia.


Why are women carriers for the disease hemophilia?

Women can, in fact, suffer from haemophilia, but it is more rare in women, as it is a recessive, sex-linked X chromosome disorder, so in order to manifest the disease, a woman would need two copies of the defective gene, while men need only one. Thus it is guaranteed to manifest in a man who carries the gene, but not in a woman unless she receives the gene from both parents.