Primer in Genetics and Genomics, Article 4-Inheritance Patterns

Abstract

Since the completion of the Human Genome Project, much has been uncovered about inheritance of various illnesses and disorders. There are two main types of inheritance: Mendelian and non-Mendelian. Mendelian inheritance includes autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked, and Y-linked inheritance. Non-Mendelian inheritance includes mitochondrial and multifactorial inheritance. Nurses must understand the types of inheritance in order to identify red flags that may indicate the possibility of a hereditary disorder in a patient or family.

Keywords: Mendelian inheritance; Punnett square; allele; dominant; genotype; heterozygous; homozygous; mitochondrial inheritance; multifactorial inheritance; non-Mendelian inheritance; pedigree; phenotype; recessive.