3. A man employed for several years in a nuclear power plant becomes the father

Question

3. A man employed for several years in a nuclear power plant becomes the father of a hemophiliac boy. There is no hemophilia in the pedigrees of the man's ancestors and his wife's ancestors. Another man, also employed for several years in the same nuclear power plant, has an achondroplastic dwarf child. There is no achondroplasia in the pedigrees of the man's ancestors and his wife's ancestors. Both men sue their employer for damages claiming that radiation in their workplace caused mutations in asked to testify in court. What do you say about each situation? Does s an autosomal their germlines. As a geneticist, you are either plaintiff have a case? (Note: hemophilia is an X-linked recessive; achondroplasia i dominant.)

Explanation / Answer

The man who is the father of a child with achondroplasia can win the case. The nuclear radiation can cause mutations in the germline of the father and the mutated gene is transmitted to his progeny. Since achondroplasia is autosomal dominant, one copy of mutated dominant allele from the father (assuming that the mutation arose due to radiation) can cause mutant phenotype in the child. The mother does not have to possess any disease-causing alleles.

The man who is the father of a child with hemophilia can not win the case. Hemophilia is an X-linked recessive disorder. So, a male must carry one mutant allele to show the phenotype (Males are hemizygous for X-chromosome). On the other hand, females must possess two copies of the mutant allele to exhibit the phenotype. In the given case, the father has an affected child. If the mutation arose in the father due to radiation, he can not transmit the mutant allele (X-chromosome )to his son.

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