Investigation Paper

Genetics
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University Affiliation
Genetics
In genetics, sex-linked genes differ from dominant and recessive genes. Sex-linked genes are carried by either of the two pairs of the sex chromosomes. Dominant or recessive genes, however, refer to the traits of a gene. They affect all types of genes. Sex- linked genes affect males in most cases, while dominant and recessive genes affect male and female equally (Research & Education Association, 1987).
Sex- linked conditions can either be X-linked or Y-linked. Males are most affected since they have one X- chromosome and one Y- chromosomes, while females have two X-chromosomes. Males inherit Y-chromosomes, so they are the only ones who inherit the Y-linked traits. Both male and females can inherit X-linked traits. A female has two X- chromosomes and, therefore, any X-linked trait can be masked by the other while a male cannot because they only have one X-chromosome (Nortrop & Connor, 2009). The similarities between sex-linked genes and the dominant and recessive gene are the sex-linked genes that act just like dominant or recessive gene except they bow to the will of the sex of an offspring.
Examples of common sex-linked traits that produce X-linked conditions are color blindness, hemophilia, Duchene muscular dystrophy, and baldness. These conditions mostly affect males while making females carriers. Y-linked condition only affects men who have the Y-chromosome whose defects result in failure in SRY genes. Dominant and recessive genes results to traits such as eye color, blood type, Marfan syndrome and Cystic fibrosis (Ohno, 1967).
Some genes become and survive as sex-linked while others do not. The dominance or recessive traits of these genes affect their survival. Most of the sex-linked conditions have individual surviving into adulthood with proper medical supervision. Some conditions such as Turner syndrome do not. Survival is linked to whether the sex chromosome is missing or structured differently or if the condition is a matter of dominant and recessive genes.