If a male has a mutant X chromosome, what is a likely outcome for his daughters?

In males, the X chromosome is inherited from their mothers, while the Y chromosome is inherited from their fathers. Since males have one X and one Y chromosome (XY), the X chromosome contains genes that can be expressed even if they are recessive. If a male has a mutant X chromosome, he will pass that X chromosome to all his daughters.

Daughters have two X chromosomes (XX), one from their mother and one from their father. Therefore, a daughter of a male with a mutant X chromosome is likely to inherit that specific mutant X chromosome. This means that she will carry the mutant allele, which may lead to the expression of traits associated with that allele, depending on whether it's dominant or recessive.

This understanding emphasizes the inheritance patterns of sex-linked traits, especially those linked to the X chromosome. In cases of X-linked mutations, daughters of affected males will inherit the mutation and could potentially express the associated phenotype, depending on the nature of the mutation and any contributions from their mother’s X chromosome.