Question

A young man develops skin cancer that does not spread to any other tissues; the mutation responsible for the cancer arose in a single skin cell. If he and his wife (who does not have skin cancer) have children after the skin cancer diagnosis, which of the following statements is most likely to be true?

A. All the man's children will inherit the mutation.
B. All the man's children will inherit the mutation if the mutation is dominant.
C. Some of the man's children may inherit the mutation depending on which of his chromosomes they inherit.
D. None of the man's children will inherit the mutation.

Answer 1

Answer:

D. None of the man's children will inherit the mutation.

Explanation:

Mutations that occur in germ cells are carried to the next generation. Mutations occurring in one or more somatic cells of an individual are not carried to its next generation. This is because the DNA of gametes is transmitted to the progeny. Sperm and egg cell fuse to form a zygote which in turn develops into an embryo carrying the DNA from the gametes only.

According to the given information, mutation responsible for skin cancer occurred in single skin cell and the cancer did not spread to any other tissue. This means that the germs cells of the man were not affected by the mutation. Therefore, none of his children would inherit the mutation.