Non-Mendel Lecture

Non-Mendelian Genetics
Learn more about non-

Mendelian genetics watch
and take notes:
http://www.bozemanscie
nce.com/030-advanced-
genetic/
Today, we know that genes often do not
follow Mendel’s Laws all the time! There are
exceptions…..
• Incomplete dominance
• Co-dominance
• Epistatic/blocked Trait
• Polygenics
• Sex linkage
• Environmental effects
Incomplete dominance
• Blending of traits. Phenotype
of offspring falls somewhere
between each parent, when
genotype is heterozygotic.
• RED Flower x WHITE Flower
---> PINK Flower
• It's like mixing paints, red +
white will make pink. Red
doesn't totally block
(dominate) the white, but
blends.
• R = allele for red flowers
• W = allele for white flowers
• red x white ---> pink
• RR x WW ---> 100% RW
Co-dominance
• Characterized by the
expression of both
alleles. Even the
recessive allele affects
the organism.
• These offspring are
called roans in animals.
EX: Red horses (RR)
crossed with white
horses (rr) produce Rr
roans that are both red
and white haired.
EX: Blood type - A
and B are both
dominant!
• IAIA or IAi= A type
• IAIB = AB type
• I I or I i = B type
B B B
• ii = O type
On your own, determine which type the
following are:
• Cream colored bull crossed with a red cow
produces a spotted/roan offspring:
Is this example co-dominance or
incomplete dominance?
• Dark blue parakeet crossed with a light sky
blue parakeet=medium cobalt blue
parakeet
Mosaic trait
• The genotype of a cell or organism is the collective term for all
of its genetic material/DNA. In genetics, the terms mosaic and
mosaicism are used to describe cell populations which have two
different genotypes.
• Some cells in the body are genetically different from the rest.
Fairly common phenomenon in plants, and can also occur in
animals and humans.
Ex: Heterochromia iridum

Polygenic traits
Characterized by many genes that are needed to
affect a single trait.
Examples: eye color is controlled by at least 3 genes
working together to produce one color. Brown,
blue, green combinations can produce hazel eyes.
Height and hair/fur color are also polygenic.
Eye color
Hair color
How Polygenic traits Work
In animal fur and skin color, at least 5 genes control
the phenotype!!
EX: In mice and other animals, “A” genes are for
amount of color , “B” genes for main pigment
color, C genes for control of color expression, the
gene for shading is (DD), and one gene for spots
(SS).
Fur color
How Polygenic traits Work
Total genotype for Fur or skin color---AaBbCcDdSs!!WOW!!
You now have a mouse or even reptile with overall black
coloring and silver shading with lots of spots!
A punnett square to show crosses would be huge (over 64
boxes), so just show a parental cross as the example:
AaBbCcDdSs x AaBbCcDdSs
*Fun fact! Did you know that polar bear
fur is colorless?
Skin color
Epistatic/Blocked Trait
Epistasis occurs in polygenic genes. Ex: Albinism. If an
organisms carries the homozygous copies of albino
gene (allele choices are usually cc or aa) no matter
what combination of genes that organism has for color,
the organism will be albino. B=black coat and aa=
albino So a mouse with a
genotype of BBGGaa will have
NO color even though it carries
dominant black trait!
Polygenic/Albino Trait (Epistatic)
Albinism
Why are albino eyes red?
• There are lots of blood vessels in the back of a
colorless eye that show through.
Other Epistatic/Blocked Trait in fur
Sex linked traits
First discovered in fruit fly crosses in laboratory
Sex linked traits
Characterized by genes carried on the X or Y
chromosomes.
• Some genes are on the • Those carried on the X
Y chromosome are more abundant
• Ex: Ear Hair • EX: Muscular Dystrophy
Sex-linked or “X-linked” traits
• EX: Hemophilia
• XhXh or XhY=
hemophilia.
• Females“carry” the gene
on X chromosome, but
won’t express/show it
because they have the
extra “healthy” dominant
copy on other X
chromosome
• Males CAN’T be carriers
of an X-linked gene
because they always
show/express the trait!
Sex-linked or
“X-linked”
traits
Ex: Red/Green
Colorblindness
Cross a color-blind male and a
carrier female? How many of their
children will be colorblind?
Xc X
Xc XcXc XcX
Y XcY XY
Cross a color-blind male and a non-
carrier female? How many of their
children will be colorblind?
Environmental effects on phenotype
Phenotypes can change as genes are exposed to

external stimuli, like temperature.
Example: Temperature dependent sex determination-
Crocodile eggs will hatch females if incubation temp
is below 85 degrees or an extremely high
temperature and males develop only in
intermediate temp range
Environmental effects on phenotype
Himalayan point colors
in cats, rabbits and
mice—fur color
changes with body
temperature. When
animals get below a
certain temperature,
they turn darker!! (the
baby rabbit on left
was left at a “chilly”
70 degrees.
Pedigrees
Pedigrees are a visual representation of
traits that are passed on through
generations.
• Females=circles
• Males=squares.
• Individuals that express the “disorder”
are completely shaded in.
• Carrier individuals for a recessive trait
are partially shaded.
For example: Cystic Fibrosis is a recessive
trait that will only be expressed when two
copies of the recessive allele are inherited.
The square “son” in the F2 generation of
this picture inherited both recessive
alleles.
Allele Incomplete Co- Polygenic
Interactions Dominance dominance Traits
Heterozygous
Expression Many genes
phenotype
Dominant Homozygous Both Eye

homozygous recessive Traits Range Color &
phenotype Height
phenotype
AB blood
types

Non-Mendel Lecture

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Non-Mendel Lecture

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Non-Mendel Lecture

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Non-Mendelian Genetics

Learn more about non-

Ex: Heterochromia iridum

Phenotypes can change as genes are exposed to

Dominant Homozygous Both Eye

You might also like