Wize University Biology Textbook > Modern Concepts of Inheritance
Duplications, Deletions and Chromosomal Inversions
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Duplications, Deletions and Inversions
Gene duplication leads to the production of new genetic information over time and involves the duplication of a region of DNA containing one or more genes.
- Gene duplication can result from unequal crossing-over during meiosis.
- The resulting cell now has two copies of the same gene, which means one can mutate and change function while the other retains the original function.
- Gene deletions occur when an entire gene is deleted from a chromosome.
Chromosome inversions occur when a segment of DNA is cut out of the chromosome and then repair mechanisms reattach it. Sometimes, the repair mechanisms reattach it backwards, and this leads to inversion.
- Due to the inversion, this chromosome will no longer undergo normal crossing over at the inverted area during meiosis because the inverted portion will not match up with its homologous chromosome.
- This can result in the genes within the inverted region always being inherited as a group.
- However, there may also be an additional mechanism to allow for pairing: the chromosome with the inversion can create a loop in order to properly pair up with its homologous chromosome during recombination.
Practice: Duplication
When can duplication of a gene occur?