Gene Interaction

Dr. Amitava Paul

Prof. and Head
Deptt. Of Genetics and Plant Breeding
Palli Siksha Bhavana (Institute of Agriculture)
Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan
If the two allelic pairs in a dihybrid cross affect the same phenotypic
characteristic, interaction of their gene products may give novel
phenotypes, and

the result may or may not be modified phenotypic ratios, depending on

the particular interaction between the products of the nonallelic genes.

Such examples differ from seemingly similar examples involving multiple

alleles or co-dominance because alleles of two genes interact to produce
new phenotypes instead of alleles of one gene only being involved.

Example of this type of gene interaction involving comb shape in chickens,

which involves two independently assorting genes, R and P was reported by
W. Bateson and R.C. Punnett.

Domestic breeds of chickens have different comb shapes. Rose comb is

found in Wyandotte breed, pea comb in Brahmas and single comb in
leghorns. Each of these types breeds true.
 Pea
Rose comb Single Walnut
comb comb comb

Wyandotte Leghorn
Brhama
Wyandotte (Rose) x Brhama (Pea)
RRpp rrPP
F1 RrPp
Walnut

F2 9/16 R__ P__ 3/16 R___pp 3/16 rrP__ 1/16 rrpp

Walnut Rose Pea Single

i) ). F1 resembles neither of the parents

ii) Novel (new) trait(s) not expressed in original parents appear in F1 and F2
(Walnut and single)
ii) The two traits can be explained as a result of the gene product interaction of two
independent inherited genes.

So the genes R and P are non-allelic

 Epistasis (literally, “to stand upon”)
It is the interaction between alleles of two or more genes to control a single
phenotype.
or
When an allele or genotype at one locus masks or inhibits the expression of
another genotype at a distinct locus, then such an interaction is called epistasis.
The interaction involves one gene masking or modifying the phenotypic
expression of another gene. No new phenotypes are produced by this type of gene
interaction.

A gene that masks the expression of another gene is said to be epistatic, and a
gene whose expression is masked is said to be hypostatic.

If we think about the F2 genotypes A/– B/–, A/– b/b, a/a B/–, and a/a b/b,
epistasis may be caused
▪ by the presence of homozygous recessives of one gene pair, so that a/a masks the
effect of the B allele.
▪ Or epistasis may result from the presence of one dominant allele in a gene pair.
For example, the A allele might mask the effect of the B allele.
▪ Epistasis can also occur in both directions between two pairs of alleles of two
genes. All these possibilities produce a number of modifications of the 9:3:3:1
ratio in a dihybrid cross.
 Duplicate Recessive Epistasis ( complementary gene action)
In duplicate recessive epistasis, a/a is epistatic to B-
and bb, and b/b is epistatic to A- and aa. An example
concerns flower color in the sweet pea (Lathyrus
odoratus). Purple flower color is dominant to white. A
recessive mutation in either gene C or P, when
homozygous, results in white flowers. Purple flowers
are produced only in genotypes with at least one
normal C allele and one normal P allele.
Therefore, a cross of a true-breeding white variety of C
genotype C/C p/p with a true-breeding white variety of
genotype c/c P/P produces F1 plants that are
Complete dominance at both gene
purple-flowered, with genotype C/c P/p. When the F1
pair; but either recessive
hybrids are self-fertilized, they produce an F2
homozygote is epistatic to the
generation with the following genotype–phenotype
effects of the other gene, i.e. cc is
relationships
epistatic to P_, pp or pp is epistatic
White x White
to C__, cc
CCpp ccPP
F1 Cc Pp (Purple)
F2
C__ P__ = 3 x 3 =9 (Purple)
C__pp = 3 x 1 =3 (white) 9: 7
cc P__ = 1 x3 =3 (white)
cc pp = 1 x 1 =1 (white)
 Duplicate Dominant Epistasis.
In duplicate dominant epistasis, A is epistatic to B and b, and
B is epistatic to A and a.
Examples concerns in the seed capsule (fruit shape) in
shepherd’s purse plant and kernel colour in wheat.

Triangular x Triangular
AA bb aa BB
F1 Aa Bb
Triangular

F2 9/16 A __B___ 3/16 A__bb 3/16 aa B___ 1/16 aa bb

Triangular Ovoid
If two different genes (non-allelic)
15 : 1
code for enzymes that are able to
There are duplicate genes involved in the catalyze same reaction such as
fruit shape phenotype, and the dominant shown in the above duplicate
allele of either gene is epistatic to either pathway, the F2 di-hybrid ratio
allele of the other gene. will be modified to 15 : 1

So, complete dominance at both gene pair, but either gene when dominant is
epistatic to the other; i.e A is epistatic to B-, bb and B is epistatic to A-, aa
 The product of one gene may inhibit or otherwise prevent the
expression of another gene.

If the inhibitor is the product of recessive allele, then 9 : 3 : 4 F2

di-hybrid ratio will result, and

if the inhibitor is the product of dominant allele, then 12 : 3 : 1 F2

dihybrid ratio will result.
 Recessive Epistasis (Supplementary gene action)
An example is coat color in rodents. Wild mice have a greyish color, because the hairs
in the fur have a band of yellow between two bands of black. This coloration—the
agouti pattern—aids in camouflage and is found in many other wild rodents,
including guinea pigs and grey quirrels.

Several other coat colors are seen in domesticated rodents.

Albinos, for example, have no pigment in the fur or in the irises of the eyes, giving
them a white coat and pink eyes. Albinos are true breeding, and this variation acts as
a complete recessive to any other color.

Another variant has black coat color as the result of the absence of the yellow
pigment found in the agouti pattern. Black is recessive to agouti.
 CC aa x cc AA
Black albino
F1 Cc Aa
Agouti
F2 9/16 C__ A__ 3/16 C__aa 3/16 cc A__ 1/16 ccaa
Agouti Black Albino Albino

9 Agouti : 3 Black : 4 Albino Complete dominance at both gene pair, but

one recessive homozygote is epistatic to the
other; i.e cc is epistatic to A/ a

In fact, three genes are involved in the phenotypes of rodent coat color described here.
At one gene, the dominant C allele encodes the enzyme tyrosinase, a key enzyme in the
pathway for the synthesis of the black pigment, eumelanin.
The recessive c allele, when homozygous, results in no eumelanin pigment formation, regardless
of the genotypes of other coat color genes.

At a second gene, the agouti locus, the dominant allele A determines agouti; and its recessive
allele a in the homozygous state produces nonagouti mice. The product of the agouti locus is
agouti signal protein. This protein regulates the pigments produced by the melanin-producing
cells of the hair follicles.
In rodents with genotype A/–, the black-and-yellow banding pattern results because the A allele
is not always expressed during hair growth. In the early part of hair growth, agouti signal protein
is not expressed from the A allele.
This means the black pigment, eumelanin, is synthesized.

In the middle part of hair growth, the A allele becomes active. The resulting agouti
signal protein switches the synthesis of melanin to the pheomelanin form, which in
rodents is yellow in color. Finally, the A allele again becomes inactive, and black
pigment is deposited in the hair.

Overall, the action of a dominant agouti allele produces a hair that has a yellow band
between two black bands.

Homozygous nonagouti a/a rodents have solid black hair because no active agouti
signal peptide is produced and, therefore, pigment production never switches from
melanin to pheomelanin. Note that eumelanin synthesis gives black hair color.

Lastly, at a third gene, the dominant allele B encodes a product involved in the
production of the black pigment, eumelanin. Homozygosity for the recessive allele, b,
results in a brown pigment; that is, a visibly lower amount of eumelanin. All the mice
must have had at least one B allele; otherwise some brown mice would have been
seen—for example, C__ A__ bb are brown. The B gene encodes tyrosinase related
protein 1. The exact function of this protein in coat color pathways is not clear;
 Dominant Epistasis
In dominant epistasis, A/– B/– and A/– b/b
individuals have the same phenotype, so the
phenotypic ratio in the F2 is 12:3:1 rather than
9:3:3:1.
In other words, in dominant epistasis, one gene,
when dominant— A here—is epistatic to the other
gene.
An example of dominant epistasis may be seen in WWyy X wwYY
the fruit color of summer squash, which has three (white) (yellow)
common fruit colors: white, yellow, and green. F1 Ww Yy
In crosses of white and yellow and of white and White
green, white is always expressed. In crosses of F2 9 W_ Y_ : 3 W_ yy : 3 ww Y_ : 1 wwyy
yellow and green, yellow is expressed. Yellow white white yellow green
thus is recessive to white, but dominant to green. 12 : 3 : 1
The hypothesis is that a green substance is converted to a yellow
substance in a reaction requiring the product of the dominant Y
allele, and the product of the dominant W allele can convert either
the green or yellow substance to a white substance. Thus, all plants
that have at least one W allele will have white fruit, no matter
which alleles are present at the Y locus, because green and/or
yellow is converted to white. The nonwhite, w/w, fruits are either
yellow, if they are Y/–, or green, if they are y/y.
Dominant - Recessive epistasis (Inhibitory gene interaction)
Complete dominance at both gene pair; but
one gene when dominant is epistatic to the
second , and the second gene when
homozygous recessive is epistatic to the
first.
Example : Feather colour in fowls

IICC X iicc
white white
F1 Ii Cc
White
F2 9 I_ C_ : 3 I_ cc : 3 ii C_ : 1 ii cc
white White Coloured White

13 : 3
Only two F2 phenotypes result when a dominant genotype at one locus (I__) and the
recessive genotype (cc) at other produce the same phenotypic effect. Thus
I__C__ , I__cc and iicc produce one phenotype and ii C__ produces another in the
ratio of 13 : 3
 Duplicate genes with cumulative effects
Complete dominance at both gene pairs; Interaction between both dominant genes to give
new phenotypes.
If the dominant condition in either locus (but not the both) produces the same phenotype,
the F2 ratio becomes 9 : 6 : 1.
Thus genotypes A__ bb and aa B__ produce the same effect where as in the genotype
A__ B__ the effect is cumulative.
Example : Fruit shape in summer squash

AA bb X aa BB
Sphere Sphere
F1 Aa Bb
Disc
F2 9 A__B___ : 3 A__ bb : 3 aa B____ : 1 aa bb
Disc Sphere Sphere long
9 : 6 : 1
 The summary of all six epistatic ratios are given in the Table

A ___ B__ A___ bb aa B____ aabb

Classical rato 9 3 3 1
Dominant epistasis 12 3 1
Recessive epistasis 9 3 4
Duplicate genes with cumulative 9 6 1
effect
Duplicate dominant genes 15 1
Duplicate recessive genes 9 7
Dominant - recessive interaction 13 3