MENDELIAN GENETICS

Gregor Johann Mendel was an Augustinian monk who was recognized as the father and founder of
genetics. Mendel started a research project to investigate patterns of heredity. Heredity is the passing of traits
from parents to their offspring.

Among many species, Mendel selected pea plant (Pisum sativum) because of its several features useful
for his research. Pea plants were easy to grow and maintain. They are self-pollinating, and thus cross
pollination can be easily performed. Pea plant has many distinct and contrasting traits. The pea plant is an
annual plant and so many generations of the plant can be studied in a short period of time.

Mendel worked with many pea plant variants, but he was interested in seven easily distinguishable
traits and each trait had 2 forms. These are shown in the table.

He started his experiment by producing pure-breeding plants. He did this by allowing his pea plants to
self-pollinate for many generations until all the offspring had the same traits as the parents.

Mendel then crossed this pure-breeding plant to another to produce hybrid plants. The plants used in
this initial cross are called the P generation (Parental generation). Next to that, he collected the seeds
produced from the P generation, then again he cross and grew them up. These offsprings were called F₁
generation (First filial generation). Mendel examined and recorded the traits of F1 plants. He then collected and
grew the seed from the F1 to produce the F2 generation (second filial generation). Again he carefully examined
and recorded the traits of the plant.

Based on his experiment, Mendel proposed three laws.

1. Law of Segregation

2. Law of Dominance

3. Law of Independent Assortment

The law states that for any particular trait, the pair of alleles of each parent separate and only one
allele passes from each parent to an offspring. An allele in each parent's pair of alleles is inherited in a matter
of chance.

Genes are the carrier of hereditary traits. Mendel deduced that genes always come in pairs, one from
each parent that forms the new individuals during fertilization. You have learned from previous module that
this segregation of alleles occurs during the process of sex cell formation (meiosis). Alleles are the alternative
forms of genes.

In Mendel's experiment, the pure-breeding parent plants had two identical genes for a trait: tall plant =
TT, short = tt. The pair of genes segregate or separate from each other during gamete formation as illustrated
below.

During meiosis, homologous pairs of chromosomes separate from one another and repackage into
separate gametes. During fertilization, a gamete from each parent will combine at random to form the
individuals of a new generation.

LAW OF DOMINANCE

The law states that in a heterozygous condition, the allele that is expressed is dominant whereas the
allele that is not expressed is recessive.

Analyzing the results of his experiment, Mendel noticed that for each cross of two contrasting traits,
there is one trait that dominates the other. He called these, respectively, dominant and recessive traits. A
dominant trait is an inherited trait that appears in an offspring, it is contributed from a parent through a
dominant allele. Traits are also known as phenotypes, such as short and tall. Whereas the genes that make up
the plant is called genotype. For example, there are two variations of pod shape in the pea plants. The
constricted and inflated pad shapes. In this example, the constricted and inflated pad shapes are the
phenotypes. Phenotypes are the observable traits in the physical appearance of the organisms. The genes
present in the constricted and inflated pad shapes are the genotypes. Genotypes are the genetic make-up of
the organisms.

To visualize how genes are inherited from parents to offspring, Mendel designated letters for each
gene. When a gene has two alleles, it is common to symbolize the dominant allele with a capital letter (TT) and
the recessive allele with the corresponding small letter (tt). The only chance a recessive allele will be expressed
in the phenotype or physical appearance of an organism, if an organism receives two recessive alleles from
both parents.

Two capital letters (TT) for tall pea plants represent homozygous dominant. Two small letters (tt)
represents homozygous recessive. Another possible allele combination is one dominant and one recessive. An
individual with this combination is called heterozygous (Tt)

In Mendel's monohybrid cross, he crossed short plants (tt) with true- breeding tall plants (TT). The
resulting seeds grew into F, plants of the same phenotype, tall (Tt).

Next he crossed the F, plants with each other and the outcome of such cross was:

Because two of the possible sperm-egg combinations produce from both heterozygous parents, the
genotypic ratio derived from the cross will be 1:2:1 that means 1 TT, 2 Tt and 1 tt. The phenotypic ration will be
3:1, meaning 3 tall plants (1 TT, 2Tt): 1 short plant (1 tt). The phenotypic percentage that can be derived from
the cross is 75% tall and 25% short plant.

Another way to better illustrate the cross is using Punnett square. This is a square diagram that is used
to predict the probable offspring of a monohybrid cross which involves a single trait and dihybrid cross
involving two traits.
 LAW OF INDEPENDENT ASSORTMENT

This law explains why traits are inherited independent of each other. For example, pea plant
inheritance to produce round seeds instead of producing wrinkled seeds does not affect the likelihood that it
will also inherit the ability to produce a constricted pad shape instead of inflated pad shape.

The law states that the alleles of two (or more) different genes get sorted into gametes independently
of one another.

In the second phase of Mendel's experiment on pea plants, he observed two traits at a time. He
observed the inheritance of seed color (green/yellow) and seed texture (round/wrinkled). He noticed that
round and yellow seeds were dominant and that green and wrinkled seeds were recessive.

Below is the dihybrid cross of yellow, round seed and wrinkled, green seed.