Which inheritance pattern indicates a disease is likely to be passed on to 50% of offspring, regardless of gender?

The inheritance pattern that indicates a disease is likely to be passed on to 50% of offspring, regardless of gender, is autosomal dominant inheritance. In this mode of inheritance, a single copy of the mutated gene from either parent can cause the disease in the offspring. This means that if one parent is affected (heterozygous for the mutation), each child has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease-causing allele, irrespective of whether the child is male or female.

In contrast, autosomal recessive diseases require an individual to inherit two copies of the mutated gene (one from each parent) to express the disease. Thus, the likelihood of passing this condition to the offspring depends on both parents being carriers, which does not guarantee a 50% chance for each child.

Spontaneous mutations do not follow a specific inheritance pattern since they occur de novo and are not passed from parent to child unless they affect the germline.

X-linked recessive conditions typically affect males more than females due to the presence of only one X chromosome in males. Affected males cannot pass the trait to their sons (since sons inherit the Y chromosome from their father), which means the transmission risk to female offspring varies.

Therefore, autosomal dominant inheritance