While males have one X chromosome, women have two. Women, however, have X chromosome inactivation, resulting in genes from only one of their X chromosomes being used. What advantage does this have? Using calico cats as a reference, explain when X chromosome inactivation may take place and what impact it has on the adult organism.

What will be an ideal response?


X chromosome inactivation occurs when one X chromosome from a pair found in a female's cell is silenced during development. If it did not occur, females would produce double the amount of some proteins compared with males, whose one X chromosome has may genes that are not duplicated on their Y chromosome.

Psychology

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Psychology