Does the placenta carry genetic information of the father?
Asked by
AstroChuck (
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)
July 22nd, 2009
from iPhone
If you were to run a DNA test on an afterbirth would it carry genetic information on both parents or just the mother or the child? Inquiring minds what know.
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12 Answers
I am not positive, but I believe it does.
Yes,
“Summary Three paternity cases have been investigated where DNA was extracted from fetuses (age: 8–10 weeks old) after interruption of pregnancy. In each case it was possible to clearly identify the putative father using 5 or 6 single locus probes (SLP’s). Fetal bands (SLP) could be clearly identified from mixtures of placental and fetal DNA by comparison with the maternal and paternal bands. However, it was very difficult to resolve the fragment patterns of tissue mixtures with one multi locus probe (MLP), because of band overlap. Another advantage of using SLP’s was that biostatistical calculations could be carried out and very informative Essen-Möller values for the probability of paternity were obtained.”
Source
@Marina is right! It’s because the placenta and the membranes (all the extra-embryonic structures) develop from the outer layers of cells of the embryo when it’s in the blastocyst stage. Because tissue from the embryo forms the placenta, it contains DNA from both parents.
Edited to add a wikipedia page that talks a bit more about it, since I’m not an embryologist!
Thanks, you guys. I love Fluther!
am I the only one who always gets the chills when I hear placenta?
actually, I always think of the SNL skit about using Placenta Helper
@filmfann- Never an actual skit as it was shot down by the network. I have a copy of the script though.
Wow, I have a script from SNL, so I must have read it (at least 20 years ago) and visualized it. The amazing thing is I can picture Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner perfectly.
@filmfann- I imagine you have the same thing I do. Its from a green book with a picture of Generalisimo Francisci Franco on the cover. And I had always visualized Dan Ackroyd and Lorraine.Newman doing it.
@AstroChuck You’ve always visualized Dan Ackroyd and Lorraine Newman doing it?
Ewwwwww.
The cells in the placenta carry genetic material of both parents.
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