What would cause a person to have two copies of the bent thumb allele (tt)? 1. A person whose mother or father had two copies of the bent thumb allele will always have two copies of the allele.
2.A person with two copies of “t” inherited one from their mother and one from their father.
3. A person born with one “t” mutation is more likely to develop a second “t” mutation during their lifetime.
4. A person with two copies must have duplicated the “t” allele through mitosis early in development. (They inherited one, then doubled it)

Mr. j, age 42, is a construction worker in las vegas. he recently noticed that a mole on his face seemed to be getting larger and darker. at first he did not worry because he was in the sun a lot and assumed the change may have been caused by sunburn. after a month, not only was the mole larger and darker, but it appeared to be “bumpy.” his doctor diagnosed a malignant melanoma skin cancer following biopsy of the nevus. mr. j reports pain in his right shin that does not go away when he puts his feet up or sleeps. discussion questions 1. relate mr. j’s skin changes to the warning signs for malignant melanoma. (see malignant melanoma.) 2. discuss the normal progression of this malignancy. what is the significance of the bone pain that mr. j is experiencing? (see malignant melanoma.) 3. discuss the treatment available for this patient and the prognosis for recovery. (see malignant melanoma.)