. Explain why more males tend to suffer from X-linked disorders than females
X-linked disorders are genetic conditions caused by mutations in genes located on the X chromosome. There are a couple of reasons why more males tend to suffer from X-linked disorders than females.
Firstly, males have one X and one Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes. Since males have only one copy of the X chromosome, they have no backup copy in case it carries a disease-causing mutation. In contrast, females have two copies of the X chromosome, which allows them to potentially have one healthy copy that can compensate for a mutation on the other X chromosome. This means that even if a female inherits a mutation on one of her X chromosomes, there is a chance that the other X chromosome can provide a healthy copy of the gene, reducing the risk of displaying the disorder.
Secondly, the inheritance pattern of X-linked disorders is characterized by a dominant pattern in males. Due to the presence of the Y chromosome, males do not have a second X chromosome that can mask the effects of a mutation. Therefore, if a male inherits an X chromosome with a mutation in a gene responsible for an X-linked disorder, he will likely display the disorder.
In contrast, females have two X chromosomes, which enables them to have a higher chance of having a healthy copy that can override the effects of a mutation. For a female to display the X-linked disorder, she would need two copies of the mutated gene, one on each X chromosome. This scenario is less common because the probability of inheriting two mutated copies is lower than that of inheriting one mutated copy.
Overall, these factors contribute to the higher prevalence of X-linked disorders in males compared to females.