GENETICS
The science of genetics explains why
organisms exhibit similar and different
characters.
Genetics is a branch of biology that
studies hereditary information.
It deals with the mechanisms of
heredity.
Genetic is relevant to all living
organisms because they are governed
by the laws of heredity.
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Molecular Genetics deals with the
chemical nature of the gene, the
mechanisms of transmission and its varied
application.
Population genetics focuses on the
behavior of a particular gene in a group of
the organisms and how gene frequency is
affected by environmental factors.
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HEREDITY?
The sum of all biological processes by which
particular characteristics are transmitted from
parents to their offspring.
The concept of heredity encompasses two
seemingly paradoxical observations about
organisms: the constancy of a species from
generation to generation and the variation among
individuals within a species.
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Gregor Johann Mendel
The Father of Genetics.
He was born on July 22, 1822
His goal was to create hybrid pea
plants and observe the outcome.
Brunn Society for Natural Science.
His paper, "Experiments on Plant
Hybridization,"
At age 61, he died of kidney
failure.
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It all began with Garden Peas
Gregor Mendel used garden peas to
illustrate the mechanisms of heredity.
Mendel bred different varieties of garden
peas and cross-pollinated flowers that had
clearly different forms traits. Such
contrasting expressions or alternative forms
of a traits are called alleles.
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1866 – breeding experiments
with
Garden Peas (Pisum Sativum)
The garden pea id ideal subject for the
study of genetics because of the following:
✘ Presence of observable traits with
contrasting forms
✘ Produces may offspring in one cross
✘ Short life cycle
✘ Ease in manipulating pollination (cross-
pollination)
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The trait of
garden peas
studied by
Mendel.
Mendel
observed the
contrasting
expressions
(alleles) od
each trait.
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Monohybrid Inheritance
Mendel cross-pollinated garden peas with
contrasting expressions.
The inheritance involving one pair of contrasting
characters (alleles) is called monohybrid
inheritance.
Pure breeding plants produces only one form of a
particular trait when they self fertilize.
Parent generation are two organisms that are
crossed in breeding experiment.
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Symbol P and p?
✘ Genotype is the gene that is
responsible for observed trait.
✘ The trait observable expressions of the
trait (purple or white flowers) is called
the phenotype.
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F1 or filial
generation
✘ Dominant allele is a variation of
a gene that will produce a certain
phenotype, even in the presence
of other alleles.
✘ Recessive allele a variety of
genetic code that does not create
a phenotype if a dominant allele is
present.
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The Legacy of
Mendel
Mendel hypotheses are now referred to
as the Law of Heredity.
Mendel generation are often called
Mendelian postulates, which are sets
of genetic laws and rules that explain
the factors affecting heredity.
✘ Rule of unit factors in pair
✘ Principle of dominance and
recessiveness
✘ Law of Segregation
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PATTERNS OF
NON – MENDELIAN
INHERITANCE
Variations involving single genes.
Some of the variations on Mendel’s rules involve
single genes.
✘ Incomplete dominance. Two alleles may
produce an intermediate phenotype when both
are present, rather than one fully determining
the phenotype.
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An example of this is the
snapdragon plant. A cross
between a homozygous white-
flowered plant
(C^WC^WCWCWC, start
superscript,
W, end superscript) and a homozygous red-
flowered plant (C^RC^RCRCRC, start
superscript, R, end superscript, C, start
superscript, R, end superscript) will produce
offspring with pink flowers (C^RC^WCRCWC,
start superscript, R, end superscript, C, start
superscript, W, end superscript).
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• Codominance. Two alleles may be simultaneously
expressed when both are present, rather than one
fully determining the phenotype.
In some varieties of chickens,
the allele for black feathers is
codominant with the allele for
white feathers. A cross
between a black chicken and a
white chicken will result in
chicken with both black and
white feathers.
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✘ Multiple alleles. Mendel studied just two
alleles of his pea genes, but real populations
often have multiple alleles of a given gene.
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✘ Pleiotropy. Some genes affect many
different characteristics, not just a
single characteristic.
An example of this is
Marfan syndrome,
which results in several
symptoms (unusually
tall height, thin fingers
and toes, lens
dislocation, and heart
problems). These
symptoms don’t seem
directly related, but as
it turns out, they can all
be traced back to the
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mutation of a single
An example of this is
Marfan syndrome, which
results in several
symptoms (unusually tall
height, thin fingers and
toes, lens dislocation,
and heart problems).
These symptoms don’t
seem directly related, but
as it turns out, they can
all be traced back to the
mutation of a single
gene.
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