Do you inherit all your genes?

Question

Please settle this friendly debate. I say, genes are encoded in DNA, wrapped up into the chromosomes we all know and love, and of which you get half from each parent. Therefore you inherit all your genes. A friend of mine thinks she read that there are hereditary and non-hereditary genes - has anyone else heard about this? What does it mean? My only explanation is that the random mutations that can arise are meant, as neither parent has those, and I suppose occasionally a mutation could occur in an actual gene, making it so different as to be, well, not inherited.

Answer 1

You are totally correct in assuming you inherit all of your genes. Think about it, if you did not, you would not be you. You are both correct in a sense. Your friend is right because your PARENTS hand you 2 sets of genes that combine (and this is where you are correct) to give you the genes that you INHERIT.

Answer 2

Very interesting question. I would say no, because of three genetics facts:
1) Viruses can alter your genes. They are the original cellular terrorists. They enter the nucleus, hijack the DNA and replace a piece and essentially reprogram the cell to make more viruses. So, there you have genes which you did not inherit from your parents.
2) You have DNA in your mitochondria, outside of your nucleus. These mitochondria are from the ova produced by your mom. Dad's sperm donate no mitochondria because sperm are made for speed and must be small. Therefore, all your mitochondrial DNA is just like Mom's which is just like Grandma's and so on down the line. Maternal lineage can be traced this way. Look up the book, "The Seven Daughter's of Eve".
3) They are now finding that there are such things as "epigenic" traits. These are minor influences on phenotype based on influences from DNA in other parts of the cell. Take a set of identical twins. How can it be that one has diabetes at age 15 but the other doesn't develop it til age 64? They think these epigenetic traits are the reason. I am not sure how these traits are inherited. I heard James Watson refer to them once in Scientific American, so I am fairly sure they are real.

Answer 3

you are right for the mutations, the hereditary part is that you have a mixture of genes from both parents, no genes are heredtary or not there can be genes that predispose you to certain diseases that are hereditary because you happen to inherit from your mother the good copy rather than the bad from your father but this is completely random as far as you are concerned. if you want to know more: alberts et al molecular biology of the cell (section genes), lewin 7 Genes oxford press

Answer 4

The nuclear genes you start off with are a mixture of your mother's and your father's. However, Right from the outset there is the potential for mutations to occur. Consider Down's syndrome. This is caused by genetic mutation in the first genetic division. Downs syndrome is not inherited from either parent. Secondly, cells contain other things beside nuclei, one of which is mitochondria. Mitochondria contain DNA. This mitochondrial DNA is passed only from the mother which is how they can trace ancestry by DNA.

Answer 5

All genes are inherited. A gene which has mutated or is damaged in some way would still be inherited; the alternative would be for it to be created from nowhere.
I suspect your friend has misunderstood.

Answer 6

the only genes that can be inherited are the ones in the gamete/sex/reproductive cells. these are the cells that combine from each parents in order to create what will become the offspring. for example, if a mutation occurs in the kidney cells, the offspring will not inherit that mutation because the kidney cells do not contribute to the forming of the offspring.

Answer 7

Anna, you do not, I repeat do not inherit all of your jeans, mostly you buy them as you grow older and bigger because your needs and size change. You also buy them regarding style and what seems to be the latest fad, bell bottom, straight leg, etc. I usually prefer Levis just because they come in various styles, are well built and last forever, I do not have to have a quote "fashionable label" in order to enjoy my jeans. So you may inherit some from your parents and they may be good quality but you probably want to buy your own. Thanks

O my gosh, I just realized you were asking about Genes not Jeans, I am so sorry. I no nothing about Genes.

Answer 8

You inherit all your genes. There is no such thing as non-hereditary genes. But there are cases when they say if a certain disease was caused by non-hereditary which would mean caused by factors other then genes.

Answer 9

actually you dont your parents can have a mutated gene, but thats still inherited, you get non inherited genes either from your enviorement growing up or there is something wrong with the way you were born ( most genes you inherit but everyone has a little non inherited genes,.

Answer 10

Yeh your right. All genes are inherited from your parents. However you acquire mutations throughout your lifetime (radiation, chemicals etc) which are not inherited.