RFLP Question

[ramblingsloth]

The electrophoresis gel below shows blood samples tested from five individuals. The key is:

AA-homozygous normal hemoglobin
AS-heterozygous carrier
SS-homozygous sickled

The sickle cell mutation is caused by a single point mutation, (base substitution), in one of the exons that code for the synthesis of hemoglobin. All humans being diploid, have two alleles for each trait, including hemoglobin.

Picture that the following questions are based off of: http://i48.tinypic.com/ixccr4.png

1)Explain the procedure for using RFLP analysis on Bob or Sally’s DNA which was extracted from white blood cells in a sample of their blood. Terms you must include in your answer are: nucleic acid extraction, marker, gel, PCR, restriction enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis.

2) If Bob and Sally married, what are the chances they would have children with sickle cell anemia? Explain your answer based on evidence from the gel.

[dustman]

According to your gels, which are bit poorly described in the post, Bob is AS ans Sally AA. If both genes, M and D are located in the same chromosome, chances are ~25/50% that a kid gets AS and 0% to get anemia, unless one gene mutation is enough for its development. This is based on Mendel

Btw, without M and D description, it's impossible to stipulate chances.

....|.... AA.............. AS...............SS
____|_______________________________
AA |....AA.............AA/AS.............AS
AS |.....AA/AS.....AA/AS/SS.........AS/SS
SS |.....AS.............AS/SS.............SS