a) Relate the high folate diet of Native Mexican’s with their allele frequency o

Question

a) Relate the high folate diet of Native Mexican’s with their allele frequency of the MTHFR that results in less conversion of folate to folic acid

b) Discuss selective pressure FOR the 677T allele in traditional Mexico, and AGAINST this allele in Europe, relating to the dietary conditions.

c) Explain to a freshman biology major how past adaptive changes can become nonadaptive when the environment shifts, using the MTHFR gene as your example of evidence.

d) Alcohol depletes the body of folic acid. Given the role of folate in the diet, what health issues would you anticipate seeing in a population of individuals with the 677T allele who consume a traditional European diet and also consume alcohol on a frequent basis? Justify your answer.

Explanation / Answer

ans-A MTHFR or methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase is a protein which is find in Homo sapiens which reduce the conversion of the folate to folic acid. in native of Mexico the gene responsible for this protein is expressed in high levels which results into the less conversion of folate to folic acid.according to some survey there allele frequency for this gene is upto 50%.

ans-B selective pressure for this gene in mexico is positive as the expression of this gene is very high in the natives of Mexico but in Europe the selective pressure for this gene is not so high as the behavioral feeding habbits of European countries are quite diffrent from that of Mexico.

ans-c as we know that when the environment shift all the other associated behavior and characters of the organisms of that ecosystem also tends to change as the conditions for the survival changes so the organism have to change themselves accordingly. so if a person needs MTHFR in past to reduce the conversion of folate to folic acid but in future if there become such condition that he gets very little folic acid which is low from normal values then there will be no need of MTHFR.

ans-D Such a person will be suffered from the deficiency of folate and other associated minerals which will lead to anemic or some other folic acid related disease.

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