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L5 - Gene Interaction

This lecture discusses various types of gene interactions including intra-allelic interactions like incomplete dominance and codominance, and inter-allelic interactions like epistasis. It provides examples of dominant and recessive epistasis. It also describes complementary gene interaction, pleiotropy using phenylketonuria as an example, and analyzes comb patterns in chickens determined by two interacting genes.

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cora o brien
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226 views23 pages

L5 - Gene Interaction

This lecture discusses various types of gene interactions including intra-allelic interactions like incomplete dominance and codominance, and inter-allelic interactions like epistasis. It provides examples of dominant and recessive epistasis. It also describes complementary gene interaction, pleiotropy using phenylketonuria as an example, and analyzes comb patterns in chickens determined by two interacting genes.

Uploaded by

cora o brien
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lecture 5

Gene Interaction
By the end of this lecture,
students should be able to:

 Differentiate Intra-allelic and inter-allelic interactions


 Describe comb pattern in fowls
 Differentiate:
 Dominant epistasis
 Recessive epistasis
 Describe Complementary gene interaction
 Describe Pleiotropy
What is the difference between a locus
and an allele?

 A locus is a particular location or a marker on a chromosome.


Alleles differ in that they refer to a particular sequence of DNA
at a given locus. The distinction from loci is that multiple alleles
can exist for the same locus.
What is Gene Interaction?
 With the help of lot of experiments it was found that
most of the characters of living organisms are
controlled / influenced / governed by a collaboration
of several different genes.
 This condition where a single character is governed by
two or more genes and every gene affect the
expression of other genes involved (means these
genes affect each others expression) is known as
gene interaction.
 In simple way we could say that, in gene interaction,
expression of one gene depends on expression
(presence or absence) of another gene.
Intra-allelic and inter-allelic
interactions

 Intra-allelic – Interaction between alleles of the same


gene.
 Eg: complete dominant, co-dominant, incomplete
dominant

 Inter-allelic – Interaction between alleles of 2 or more


different genes.
 Eg: Epistasis
EPISTASIS
Epistasis
 An inheritance pattern in which the alleles of one
gene mask or hide the phenotypic effects of the
alleles of a different gene
 Expression of one gene is reliant on another gene
 One gene’s expression modifies/ suppresses
another gene
 The gene that do the masking – epistatic gene
 The gene that is masked – hypostatic gene
 Epistatic gene can be dominant or recessive in its
effect.
Comb patterns in fowls

WT Rose R_pp
Pea rrP_
Walnut R_P_
Single rrpp

R is dominant to r
P is dominant to p
RP is codominant
(walnut)
rrpp single comb
 The type of comb in chicken is determined by 2 genes, R and P,
and the interaction between these 2 genes resulted in 4 distinct
phenotypes

Rose R_pp
Pea rrP_
Walnut R_P_
Single rrpp
• R is dominant to r
• P is dominant to p
• RP is codominant (walnut)
• rrpp single comb
Solve this ……

What is the outcome of the cross


between 2 chickens with walnut-
type comb, both having RrPp
genotype?
RrPp (walnut) x RrPp (walnut)
RP Rp rP rp

RP RRPP RRPp RrPP RrPp


walnut walnut walnut walnut

Rp RRPp RRpp RrPp Rrpp


walnut rose walnut rose

rP RrPP RrPp rrPP rrPp


walnut walnut pea pea

rp RrPp Rrpp rrPp rrpp


walnut rose pea single
Dominant Epistasis

 Caused by the dominant allele of one gene,


masking the action of either allele of the other
gene.
 Ratio of F2 would be 12:3:1 instead of 9:3:3:1
 Example: Summer Squash. Complete dominance
at both gene pairs, but one gene, when dominant,
epistatic to the other.
 In summer squash, fruit color maybe white, yellow or
green.
 White fruits are produced by a dominant epistatic allele
‘A’. At another locus ‘B’, for yellow fruits (B) is
dominant to allele ‘b’ for green fruits.
 Gene pair A: White dominant to colour 12/16 white
 Gene pair ‘B’ – Yellow dominant to green 3/16 yellow
 Green – 1/16 both recessive aabb
 Dominant white hides the effect of yellow or green.
Complementary Gene Interaction
 Each genotypic class may not always dictate a unique
phenotype.
 A pair of genes can work together to create a specific
phenotype. This is known as complementary gene
interaction.
 2 or more genotypic classes may display an identical
phenotype.
 In this case, a dominant allele must be present in both
genes in order for a specific phenotype to be
expressed. Example would be seen in a cross between 2
pure-breed white-flowered pea plants.
Example
Pleiotropy

 The effect of a single gene on more than one


characteristics.
 Eg: A classic example of pleiotropy is the human
disease phenylketonuria (PKU). This disease can
cause mental retardation and
reduced hair and skin pigmentation, and can be caused
by any of a large number of mutations in a single gene
that codes for the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase,
which converts the amino
acid phenylalanine to tyrosine, another amino acid.
 conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine is reduced or
ceases entirely. Unconverted phenylalanine
concentrates in the bloodstream and can rise to levels
that are toxic to the developing nervous system of
newborn and infant children and which can cause
effects such as mental retardation and abnormal gait
and posture.
 Because tyrosine is used by the body to make melanin
(an important component of the pigment found in
hair and skin) the failure to convert normal levels of
phenylalanine to tyrosine results in less pigmentation
being produced causing the fair hair and skin typically
associated with phenylketonuria.
 By excluding phenylalanine from the diet until adulthood,
it is possible to avoid injury to the developing nervous
system, neutralizing the particular effects that can result
from toxic levels of phenylalanine, without having any
effect on the low pigmentation production caused by the
reduced levels of tyrosine.
 Phenylketonuria is inherited in an autosomal recessive
fashion. This means that each parent has at least one
mutated allele of the gene for PAH, and the child
inherits two mutated alleles of the gene, one from
each parent.
Other pleiotropic diseases

 Sickle cell anemia


 Marfan syndrome

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