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Zygosity (the noun,
zygote A zygote (, ) is a eukaryotic cell formed by a fertilization event between two gametes. The zygote's genome is a combination of the DNA in each gamete, and contains all of the genetic information of a new individual organism. In multicellula ...
, is from the Greek "yoked," from "yoke") () is the degree to which both copies of a
chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...
or
gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
have the same genetic sequence. In other words, it is the degree of similarity of the
allele An allele (, ; ; modern formation from Greek ἄλλος ''állos'', "other") is a variation of the same sequence of nucleotides at the same place on a long DNA molecule, as described in leading textbooks on genetics and evolution. ::"The chro ...
s in an organism. Most
eukaryote Eukaryotes () are organisms whose cells have a nucleus. All animals, plants, fungi, and many unicellular organisms, are Eukaryotes. They belong to the group of organisms Eukaryota or Eukarya, which is one of the three domains of life. Bacte ...
s have two matching sets of
chromosomes A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...
; that is, they are
diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...
. Diploid organisms have the same loci on each of their two sets of
homologous chromosome A couple of homologous chromosomes, or homologs, are a set of one maternal and one paternal chromosome that pair up with each other inside a cell during fertilization. Homologs have the same genes in the same loci where they provide points alon ...
s except that the sequences at these loci may differ between the two chromosomes in a matching pair and that a few chromosomes may be mismatched as part of a chromosomal
sex-determination system A sex-determination system is a biological system that determines the development of sexual characteristics in an organism. Most organisms that create their offspring using sexual reproduction have two sexes. In some species there are hermap ...
. If both alleles of a diploid organism are the same, the organism is
homozygous Zygosity (the noun, zygote, is from the Greek "yoked," from "yoke") () is the degree to which both copies of a chromosome or gene have the same genetic sequence. In other words, it is the degree of similarity of the alleles in an organism. Mo ...
at that locus. If they are different, the organism is
heterozygous Zygosity (the noun, zygote, is from the Greek "yoked," from "yoke") () is the degree to which both copies of a chromosome or gene have the same genetic sequence. In other words, it is the degree of similarity of the alleles in an organism. Mo ...
at that locus. If one allele is missing, it is
hemizygous Zygosity (the noun, zygote, is from the Greek "yoked," from "yoke") () is the degree to which both copies of a chromosome or gene have the same genetic sequence. In other words, it is the degree of similarity of the alleles in an organism. Mo ...
, and, if both alleles are missing, it is nullizygous. The DNA sequence of a gene often varies from one individual to another. These gene variants are called
alleles An allele (, ; ; modern formation from Greek ἄλλος ''állos'', "other") is a variation of the same sequence of nucleotides at the same place on a long DNA molecule, as described in leading textbooks on genetics and evolution. ::"The chro ...
. While some genes have only one allele because there is low variation, others have only one allele because deviation from that allele can be harmful or fatal. But most genes have two or more alleles. The frequency of different alleles varies throughout the population. Some genes may have alleles with equal distributions. Often, the different variations in the genes do not affect the normal functioning of the organism at all. For some genes, one allele may be common, and another allele may be rare. Sometimes, one allele is a
disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...
-causing variation while another allele is healthy. In diploid organisms, one allele is inherited from the male parent and one from the female parent. Zygosity is a description of whether those two alleles have identical or different DNA sequences. In some cases the term "zygosity" is used in the context of a single chromosome.


Types

The words ''homozygous'', ''heterozygous'', and ''hemizygous'' are used to describe the
genotype The genotype of an organism is its complete set of genetic material. Genotype can also be used to refer to the alleles or variants an individual carries in a particular gene or genetic location. The number of alleles an individual can have in a ...
of a diploid organism at a single
locus Locus (plural loci) is Latin for "place". It may refer to: Entertainment * Locus (comics), a Marvel Comics mutant villainess, a member of the Mutant Liberation Front * ''Locus'' (magazine), science fiction and fantasy magazine ** ''Locus Award' ...
on the DNA. ''Homozygous'' describes a genotype consisting of two identical alleles at a given locus, ''heterozygous'' describes a genotype consisting of two different alleles at a locus, ''hemizygous'' describes a genotype consisting of only a single copy of a particular gene in an otherwise diploid organism, and ''nullizygous'' refers to an otherwise-diploid organism in which both copies of the gene are missing.


Homozygous

A cell is said to be homozygous for a particular gene when identical alleles of the gene are present on both
homologous chromosomes A couple of homologous chromosomes, or homologs, are a set of one maternal and one paternal chromosome that pair up with each other inside a cell during fertilization. Homologs have the same genes in the same loci where they provide points alon ...
. An individual that is homozygous-dominant for a particular trait carries two copies of the allele that codes for the
dominant trait In genetics, dominance is the phenomenon of one variant (allele) of a gene on a chromosome masking or overriding the effect of a different variant of the same gene on the other copy of the chromosome. The first variant is termed dominant and t ...
. This allele, often called the "dominant allele", is normally represented by the uppercase form of the letter used for the corresponding recessive trait (such as "P" for the dominant allele producing purple flowers in pea plants). When an organism is homozygous-dominant for a particular trait, its genotype is represented by a doubling of the symbol for that trait, such as "PP". An individual that is homozygous-recessive for a particular trait carries two copies of the allele that codes for the
recessive trait In genetics, dominance is the phenomenon of one variant (allele) of a gene on a chromosome masking or overriding the effect of a different variant of the same gene on the other copy of the chromosome. The first variant is termed dominant and t ...
. This allele, often called the "recessive allele", is usually represented by the lowercase form of the letter used for the corresponding dominant trait (such as, with reference to the example above, "p" for the recessive allele producing white flowers in pea plants). The genotype of an organism that is homozygous-recessive for a particular trait is represented by a doubling of the appropriate letter, such as "pp".


Heterozygous

A
diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...
organism is heterozygous at a gene locus when its cells contain two different
allele An allele (, ; ; modern formation from Greek ἄλλος ''állos'', "other") is a variation of the same sequence of nucleotides at the same place on a long DNA molecule, as described in leading textbooks on genetics and evolution. ::"The chro ...
s (one wild-type allele and one mutant allele) of a gene. The cell or organism is called a heterozygote ''specifically'' for the allele in question, and therefore, heterozygosity refers to a specific genotype. Heterozygous genotypes are represented by an uppercase letter (representing the dominant/wild-type allele) and a lowercase letter (representing the recessive/mutant allele), as in "Rr" or "Ss". Alternatively, a heterozygote for gene "R" is assumed to be "Rr". The uppercase letter is usually written first. If the trait in question is determined by simple (complete) dominance, a heterozygote will express only the trait coded by the dominant allele, and the trait coded by the recessive allele will not be present. In more complex dominance schemes the results of heterozygosity can be more complex. A heterozygous genotype can have a higher relative fitness than either the homozygous dominant or homozygous recessive genotype – this is called a
heterozygote advantage A heterozygote advantage describes the case in which the heterozygous genotype has a higher relative fitness (biology), fitness than either the homozygous Dominance (genetics), dominant or homozygous recessive gene, recessive genotype. Loci exhib ...
.


Hemizygous

A chromosome in a diploid organism is hemizygous when only one copy is present. The cell or organism is called a ''hemizygote''. Hemizygosity is also observed when one copy of a gene is deleted, or, in the
heterogametic sex Heterogametic sex (digametic sex) refers to the individuals of a species in which the sex chromosomes are not the same. For example, in humans, males with an X and a Y sex chromosome would be referred to as the heterogametic sex, and females ...
, when a gene is located on a sex chromosome. Hemizygosity is not the same as
haploinsufficiency Haploinsufficiency in genetics describes a model of dominant gene action in diploid organisms, in which a single copy of the wild-type allele at a locus in heterozygous combination with a variant allele is insufficient to produce the wild-type ...
, which describes a mechanism for producing a phenotype. For organisms in which the male is heterogametic, such as humans, almost all X-linked genes are hemizygous in males with normal chromosomes, because they have only one
X chromosome The X chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes (allosomes) in many organisms, including mammals (the other is the Y chromosome), and is found in both males and females. It is a part of the XY sex-determination system and XO sex-d ...
and few of the same genes are on the
Y chromosome The Y chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes (allosomes) in therian mammals, including humans, and many other animals. The other is the X chromosome. Y is normally the sex-determining chromosome in many species, since it is the presence or abse ...
. Transgenic mice generated through exogenous DNA
microinjection Microinjection is the use of a glass micropipette to inject a liquid substance at a microscopic or borderline macroscopic level. The target is often a living cell but may also include intercellular space. Microinjection is a simple mechanical pro ...
of an embryo's
pronucleus A pronucleus () is the nucleus of a sperm or egg cell during the process of fertilization. The sperm cell becomes a pronucleus after the sperm enters the ovum, but before the genetic material of the sperm and egg fuse. Contrary to the sperm cell, ...
are also considered to be hemizygous, because the introduced allele is expected to be incorporated into only one copy of any locus. A transgenic individual can later be bred to homozygosity and maintained as an inbred line to reduce the need to confirm the genotype of each individual. In cultured mammalian cells, such as the
Chinese hamster ovary cell Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are an epithelial cell line derived from the ovary of the Chinese hamster, often used in biological and medical research and commercially in the production of recombinant therapeutic proteins. They have foun ...
line, a number of genetic loci are present in a functional hemizygous state, due to mutations or deletions in the other alleles.


Nullizygous

A nullizygous organism carries two mutant alleles for the same gene. The mutant alleles are both complete loss-of-function or 'null' alleles, so homozygous null and nullizygous are synonymous. The mutant cell or organism is called a ''nullizygote''.


Autozygous and allozygous

Zygosity may also refer to the origin(s) of the alleles in a genotype. When the two alleles at a locus originate from a common ancestor by way of nonrandom mating (
inbreeding Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...
), the genotype is said to be ''autozygous''. This is also known as being "identical by descent", or IBD. When the two alleles come from different sources (at least to the extent that the descent can be traced), the genotype is called ''allozygous''. This is known as being "identical by state", or IBS. Because the alleles of autozygous genotypes come from the same source, they are always homozygous, but allozygous genotypes may be homozygous too. Heterozygous genotypes are often, but not necessarily, allozygous because different alleles may have arisen by mutation some time after a common origin. Hemizygous and nullizygous genotypes do not contain enough alleles to allow for comparison of sources, so this classification is irrelevant for them.


Monozygotic and dizygotic twins

As discussed above, "zygosity" can be used in the context of a specific genetic locus (example). The word ''zygosity'' may also be used to describe the genetic similarity or dissimilarity of twins. Identical twins are monozygotic, meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos. Fraternal twins are dizygotic because they develop from two separate
Oocyte An oocyte (, ), oöcyte, or ovocyte is a female gametocyte or germ cell involved in reproduction. In other words, it is an immature ovum, or egg cell. An oocyte is produced in a female fetus in the ovary during female gametogenesis. The female ...
s (egg cells) that are fertilized by two separate
sperm Sperm is the male reproductive cell, or gamete, in anisogamous forms of sexual reproduction (forms in which there is a larger, female reproductive cell and a smaller, male one). Animals produce motile sperm with a tail known as a flagellum, whi ...
. Sesquizygotic twins are halfway between monozygotic and dizygotic and are believed to arise after two sperm fertilize a single oocyte which subsequently splits into two
morula A morula (Latin, ''morus'': mulberry) is an early-stage embryo consisting of a solid ball of cells called blastomeres, contained in mammals, and other animals within the zona pellucida shell. The blastomeres are the daughter cells of the zygote ...
.


Medicine and disease

Zygosity is an important factor in human medicine. If one copy of an essential gene is mutated, the (heterozygous) carrier is usually healthy. However, more than 1,000 human genes appear to require both copies, that is, a single copy is insufficient for health. This is called
haploinsufficiency Haploinsufficiency in genetics describes a model of dominant gene action in diploid organisms, in which a single copy of the wild-type allele at a locus in heterozygous combination with a variant allele is insufficient to produce the wild-type ...
. For instance, a single copy of the
Kmt5b Histone-lysine N-methyltransferase KMT5B is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''KMT5B'' gene. The enzyme along with WHSC1 is responsible for dimethylation of lysine 20 on histone H4 in mouse and humans. This gene encodes a protein that ...
gene leads to haploinsufficiency and results in a
skeletal muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscl ...
developmental deficit.


Heterozygosity in population genetics

In
population genetics Population genetics is a subfield of genetics that deals with genetic differences within and between populations, and is a part of evolutionary biology. Studies in this branch of biology examine such phenomena as adaptation, speciation, and pop ...
, the concept of heterozygosity is commonly extended to refer to the population as a whole, i.e., the fraction of individuals in a population that are heterozygous for a particular locus. It can also refer to the fraction of loci within an individual that are heterozygous. Typically, the observed (H_o) and expected (H_e) heterozygosities are compared, defined as follows for diploid individuals in a population: ;Observed :H_o = \frac where n is the number of individuals in the population, and a_,a_ are the alleles of individual i at the target locus. ;Expected : H_e = 1 - \sum\limits_^ where m is the number of alleles at the target locus, and f_i is the
allele frequency Allele frequency, or gene frequency, is the relative frequency of an allele (variant of a gene) at a particular locus in a population, expressed as a fraction or percentage. Specifically, it is the fraction of all chromosomes in the population that ...
of the i^ allele at the target locus.


See also

*
Heterosis Heterosis, hybrid vigor, or outbreeding enhancement is the improved or increased function of any biological quality in a hybrid offspring. An offspring is heterotic if its traits are enhanced as a result of mixing the genetic contributions of ...
*
Heterozygote advantage A heterozygote advantage describes the case in which the heterozygous genotype has a higher relative fitness (biology), fitness than either the homozygous Dominance (genetics), dominant or homozygous recessive gene, recessive genotype. Loci exhib ...
*
Loss of heterozygosity Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) is a type of genetic abnormality in diploid organisms in which one copy of an entire gene and its surrounding chromosomal region are lost. Since diploid cells have two copies of their genes, one from each parent, a sing ...
*
Nucleotide diversity Nucleotide diversity is a concept in molecular genetics which is used to measure the degree of polymorphism within a population. One commonly used measure of nucleotide diversity was first introduced by Nei and Li in 1979. This measure is defin ...
measures polymorphisms on the level of nucleotides rather than on level of loci. * Pseudolinkage * Runs of Homozygosity (ROH)


References


External links

* {{Authority control Classical genetics