Why do developmental scientists believe that the male sex is associated with a higher cumber of sex-linked inherited disorders?
1 Answer
The X chromosome has more genetic material than the Y chromosome. leaving the male more vulnerable to defects in the DNA.
Explanation:
The female has two X chromosomes while the male has only one X chromosome. If there is a mutation on one X chromosome the female has another X chromosome that may be intact preventing the sex linked disease being expressed on the female. In contrast if there is a mutation on the one X chromosome possessed by the male there is no second X chromosome that may have the intact information. The result is any loss of information on the X chromosome in a male will result in a sex linked disease.
Examples of sex linked diseases that are more common in males than in females are hemophilia and color blindness. The information for making planet cells is found on the X chromosome. An error on the X chromosome of a male will result in the male having difficulty with clotting and stopping bleeding. The information for making the cones that detect color are also found on the X chromosome, making males much more vulnerable to being color blind.
