INTERACTION OF GENES
Features of Mendelian inheritance
1)Every heritable trait is governed by a single gene
2)Each gene exists in 2 allelic forms
3)One allele of each gene is completely dominant over the other
4)Alleles exhibit segregation and independent assortment during inheritance
5)A heterozygote is phenotypically similar to a dominant homozygote
Exceptions to Mendelian inheritance
a)Single gene controls several traits
b)One trait controlled by several genes
c)Some genes exist in more than 2 allelic forms
d)A heterozygote may be phenotypically intermediate between the dominant and recessive homozygotes
●This is because, different genes located on the same chromosome or on different chromosomes may interact with each other to
produce novel phenotypes
●The concept of compound determiner for a single trait is called gene interaction (factor hypothesis), proposed by Bateson and
Punnet
●Factor hypothesis contradicts Mendelian principles; Mendelian principles suggest that every trait is governed by a single gene whereas
Factor hypothesis suggests that every trait is the product of interaction between different genes
Characteristics of gene interaction
●The interacting genes always control the expression of the same character
●The phenotypic expression of one gene depends on the presence or absence of another gene
●Gene interaction modifies the typical Mendelian F2 ration
●All the interacting genes do not act in the same way in producing a phenotype; they may mask, enhance,inhibit or reverse the
effect of another or act in different ways in different conditions
Allellic interaction
●
It occurs between alleles of the same gene located in identical loci or on
different homologous chromosomes
●
The following are the different types of allelic interactions
1. Incomplete dominance (1:2:1 phenotype ratio)
●
Here dominant allele is partially expressed in heterozygote so that the
phenotype of the heterozygote is intermediate between that of dominant and
recessive homozygotes
●
Complete dominance in Mendelian inheritance occurs when the dominant
allele is completely expressed in the heterozygote and the heterozygous
phenotype is identical to that of the dominant homozygote
●
But in incomplete dominance, there is transitional degrees of dominance
●
This is due to an interaction between the dominant and recessive alleles so
that the dominant allele does not get fully expressed
Examples of Incomplete dominance
a. Inheritance of flower colour in Mirabilis jalapa
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There are 2 varieties of Mirabilis,red flowered (dominant) and white flowered(recessive)
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When true bred homozygous red flowered plant (RR) is crossed with true bred
homozygous white flowered plant (rr), F1 progeny is pink flowered
●
This is because the allele for red colour is incompletely dominant over that of white colour
●
When F1 hybrids are self pollinated F2 progeny included plants with red, pink and white
flower in the ratio 1:2:1
b. Inheritance of eye shape in Drosophila melanogaster
●
The dominant homozygotes have large oval eye (BB) while the recessive homozygotes
have small, elongated and bar-shaped eye (bb) and those of heterozygotes (Bb) is in
between the two types
c. Inheritance of feather colour in Andulasian fowl
●
When black feathered fowl was crossed with white feathered fowl F1 is blue feathered
●
When F1 was selfed, the black,blue and white feathered fowls were in the ratio 1:2:1
Codominanace
●
Both the alleles of a gene are equally and simultaneously expressed in the
heterozygote, so that the heterozygote will have phenotype expressed by
both the alleles
●
The alleles of a gene which are equally and simultaneously expressed in
the heterozygote are called codominant alleles
Examples of codominance
Inheritance of human ABO blood group
●
There are 2 antigens:A and B, governed by the gene I
●
I gene has 3 alleles IA (produces antigen A), IB (produces antigen B) and IO
(no role in antigen production)
●
IA and IB are codominant to with each other but dominant over IO
●
The following are the combinations of the alleles producing various blood
groups
ABO blood group systems
Genotype Phenotype
A group
IA I A IA IO
I B I B I B IO B group
IA I B AB group
I O IO O group
●
AB blood group couples may produce a progeny of
A, AB and B group children in the ratio 1:2:1
Molecular basis of dominance
●
Dominant allele of a gene has the ability to govern a biological function,
whereas recessive allele lacks it
●
Genes act through production of specific proteins; dominant allele
governs the production of a fully functional protein whereas a recessive
allele produces partially functional or function less proteins
●
Dominance is governed by the ability of a gene to produce a fully
functional protein both in homozygous and heterozygous condition; the
functional proteins give rise to specific phenotype
●
When the quantity of a functional protein produced in the heterozygous
condition is lesser than that produced in the homozygous
condition,incomplete dominance is resulted
●
When 2 different alleles produce equal quantities of protein in the
heterozygous condition, it will lead to codominance
Non allelic inheritance
●
In this case, two non-allelic gene pairs affect the same character.
●
The dominant allele of each of the two factors produces separate phenotypes when they are
alone.
●
When both the dominant alleles are present together, they produce a distinct new phenotype.
●
The absence of both the dominant alleles gives rise to yet another phenotype.
Examples of non allelic interaction
1. Complementary gene action
●
It is the non allelic gene interaction in which each gene complements the other to produce a
phenotypic effect which neither of them can produce in the absence of the other
●
Both the genes are necessary for the production of a phenotype: one acts as the determiner
and the other acts as an initiator or supporter
●
Two types of complementary gene actions are there
a. Dominant complementation: present in homozygous or heterozygous state for its expression
b. Recessive complementation: present only in recessive homozygous condition
Flower colour in sweet pea (Bateson)
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On crossing a red flowered plant with a white flowered one,F1 generation was all red flowered
●
On selfing F1, F2 was having red flower and white flower in the ratio 3:1
●
In another experiment he used different varieties of white plants and found that F1 was all red
flowered and F2 produced red flower and white flower in the ratio 9:7
●
He concluded that colouration is due to interaction between dominant alleles of two different
genes
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If the dominant allele of one or both the genes is absent, the plant produced colourless flowers
●
Colouration is due to the production of pigment anthocyanin from a colourless precursor called
chromogen
●
Both the processes are governed by dominant alleles of 2 different genes
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The dominant allele of the determiner gene governs the synthesis of chromogen and that of the
initiator gene promotes conversion of chromogen to anthocyanin
●
If the dominant allele of the determiner is absent, chromogen is not produced and the flower will
be colourless
●
If the dominant allele of the initiator is absent, chromogen is produced,but its conversion to
anthocyanin will not take place and the flower remains colourless
2. Supplementary gene action (9:3:4)
●
It is the gene interaction in which a modifying gene called supplementary gene supplements the action
of the basic gene and thereby modifies the phenotype
●
Supplementary gene cannot determine the phenotype all by itself it can only modify the phenotype
produced by a basic determiner gene by interacting with it
●
Basic gene can produce the phenotype in the presence or absence of the supplementary gene
Inheritance of coat colour in rodents
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Wild type gene for coat colour is agouti (greyish) due to the presence of yellow and black pigments;
yellow at the tip and black in the remaining part of the hair
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Agouti is favoured by natural selection as a means of adaptive protection
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Variations of agouti pattern are seen like black (only black pigment) and albino (no pigments)
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Agouti is dominant over black and albino whereas albino is recessive to both black and agouti and
black is dominant over albino and recessive to agouti
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Black mouse (BBaa) is mated with albino (bbAA) giving all agouti (BbAa) mice in F 1 generation
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On selfing F1 generation, F2 was found to have black agouti and albino mice in the ration 9:3:4; a
modified Mendelian dihybrid ratio
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The dominant allele of the basic gene determines the coat colour whereas that of the modifier gene
modifies the phenotype
3. Duplicate gene action (15:1)
●
They are identical non allelic genes with the same phenotypic effect
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They have the same phenotypic action but are present in different chromosomes
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Duplicate gene action is inter chromosomal interaction between two identical dominant
genes
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They can collectively produce a phenotype when both are in homozygous dominant or
heterozygous state
●
A different phenotype is produced only when both the genes are in recessive homozygous
state
Inheritance of seed shape in Capsella (shepherd’s weed)
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There are 2 varieties: triangular seed capsule and oval seed capsule
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F1 was all with triangular seed capsule whereas F2 generation had both triangular and oval
seed capsule in the ration 15:1
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Triangular seed shape exists when both the genes remain in homozygous dominant or
heterozygous condition and oval seed shape is seen when both exist in homozygous
recessive condition
Epistasis
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It is the non reciprocal interaction of genes in which the expression of one gene is
suppressed by the other non allelic gene
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Phenotype is determined effectively by the suppressing gene (epistatic gene) rather
than the suppressed gene (hypostatic gene), when both the genes coexist
●
The phenomenon of getting suppressed is hypostasis, which is actually another aspect
of epistasis
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Dominant allele of an epistatic gene can produce a phenotype of its own and in
combination with the hypostatic gene, it suppresses the expression of the hypostatic
gene
●
Epistasis and hypostasis are analogous to dominance and recessiveness but they differ
in many ways
➔
Dominant and recessive genes are allelic and present on same loci of homologous
chromosomes; epistatic and hypostatic genes are non allelic and occupy different loci
➔
Dominance and recessiveness represent intragenic interaction whereas epistasis and
hypostasis represent intergenic interaction
Types of epistasis
●
Based on the phenotypic ratio of F2 generation, epistasis are of different types
1. Dominant epistasis (12:3:1/13:3)
●
It is also called inhibitory epistasis, the dominant allele of one gene (A) suppresses the expression of another
gene (B) of different locus
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Gene A is epistatic and gene B is hypostatic; the hypostatic allele gets its expression only when the epistatic
gene is in recessive homozygous condition (aa)
Inheritance of plumage colour in poultry
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In the variety white leghorn, the plumage is white whereas in other varieties it is coloured;white being
dominant over coloured varieties
●
But in another variety, white wyandotte, white colour is recessive to coloured variety; genetic basis of white
plumage is different in different varieties
●
In white leghorn,the expression of the dominant gene (C) is suppressed by a suppressing gene (I) whereas in
white wyandott, there is no dominant alleles of both these genes; hence both varieties are white in colour
●
So white leghorn and white wyandott are phenotypically same but genotypically different; white leghorn is
genetically coloured while white wyandott is genetically colourless
●
When true breeding white leghorn and true breeding white wyandott are crossed, F1 was white with black
dots; interbreeding the F1 gave F2 with white and coloured fowls in the ratio 13:3
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White plumage occurs when the colour gene and suppressor genes occur in dominant condition; coloured
plumage occurs when dominant allele of the colour gene is present and that of suppressor gene is absent
Recessive epistasis (9:3:4/9:7)
●
It is also called supplementary epistasis in which the homozygous recessive
genotype of one gene (aa) suppresses the expression of another gene (B)
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The hypostatic gene is expressed only when the epistatic gene is present in
dominant condition (AA/Aa)
Inheritance of coat colour in mice
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Common mouse has different coat colours: agouti,black and albino
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Agouti has colour banded hair with 3 segments: basal grey, middle yellow and
terminal black or brown
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Agouti is controlled by dominant allele A and black by dominant allele C; A is
hypostatic to recessive allele c and C is hypostatic to dominant allele A
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Agouti is seen only in the AACc, AaCC or AaCc condition and totally absent when
combined with cc condition
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Albino is seen in ccAA, ccAa, ccaa
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Black occurs Ccaa, Ccaa
