What is hemizgous?

Answer 1

Hemizygous refers to an organism or cell having only one allele for a particular gene instead of the usual two. This condition typically occurs in organisms with sex-linked traits, particularly in males of species like humans, where they have one X and one Y chromosome, resulting in only one copy of genes located on the X chromosome. Consequently, any mutation or variation in that single allele will manifest in the phenotype, as there is no second allele to potentially mask its effects.