Non-Mendelian Genetics

Mendelian Genetics
(Complete Dominance)
Only two possible Phenotypes: either
dominant or recessive

Tall plant X Short plant = Tall plant

(TT) (tt) (Tt)
Non-Mendelian Genetics
But, not all inheritance is based on the
rules of Complete Dominance!!
Introduction
Mendelian Genetics describes inheritance patterns
based on Complete Dominance or Recessiveness.
There are other types of inheritance that Mendel
never considered:
Incomplete Inheritance
Codominance
Multiple Alleles
Polygenic Traits
Pleiotropy
Lethal Allele
Epistasis
Sex-linked
Incomplete Inheritance
One allele is not completely dominant over
the other
The hybrid (heterozygous) offspring
displays a THIRD Phenotype – an
intermediate phenotype
Red Flower X White Flower = Pink
(RR) (WW) (RW)
A cross between a homozygous white-
flowered plant CWCW and a homozygous
red-flowered plant CRCR will produce a
pink-flowered plant CRCW
Incomplete Inheritance
Problem
What is the probability of pink flowers in
the offspring if pink flowers are bred with
red flowers?

50%
chance
of Pink
Flowers
Incomplete Inheritance
Problem
What is the probability of white flowers if
pink flowers are bred with pink flowers?
 Codominance
Both traits are dominant, and show up in the
phenotype at the same time
Black Cow X White Cow = Spotted Co
C w
(BB) (WW) (BW)
Codominance Problem
What are all the possible phenotypes when
two spotted cows are bred?

Possible
phenotypes
are a black
cow, 2
spotted
cows, and a
white cow
• 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.
 Multiple Alleles
When more than 2 varieties exist in a trait.
Ex: Many animals have a variety of coat
colors.
An example of this is the gene for coat color in
rabbits (the C gene) which comes in four
common alleles: C, cch, ch and c
Human Blood The human ABO blood type
alleles/trait is an example of a trait
Type with multiple alleles. Three distinct
alleles exist: allele A (IA), allele B (IB),
and allele i
Cells Genotypes Blood types

Type A blood
I i, I I
A A A

Type B blood
I i, I I
B B B

Type AB
II
A B
blood

Type O blood
ii
Blood Type Problems
If a woman with AB blood
has children with a man
who has type O, what will
be the possible genotypes
of their children? What will
be their blood types?

IA IB
i IA i IB i
i IA i IB i
Blood Type Problems
Blood Type Problem 2: A
woman with type B blood
has a child with type O
blood. How is this possible
if her husband has type A
blood?
 Polygenic Traits
A trait is controlled by more than one gene
Ex: Skin tone is determined by 4-6 genes—
that means that there may be six different
chromosomes involved!
Polygenic Traits
Human features like height, eye color,
and hair color
Pleiotropy
When one gene affects multiple
characteristics
 Pleiotropy
Ex: Marfan Syndrome
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.
Pleiotropy: Sickle Cell Anemia
Lethal Alleles
Lethal alleles are alleles that cause an
organism to die only when present in a
homozygous condition
The gene involved is considered an
essential gene and the lethal allele may be
either dominant or recessive
Ex:
achondroplasia, a genetic condition which
causes dwarfism
 Lethal Alleles

•Normally a cross of two heterozygotes will generate a 3 : 1 ratio

(dominant : recessive)
•In achondroplasia, two dwarf heterozygotes are expected to
generate a 2 : 1 ratio (the homozygous dominant doesn’t survive)
Epistasis
Epistasis describes a condition whereby
the presence of one gene inhibits the
expression of a phenotype encoded in
another separate gene
In mice, the expression of a specific fur
colour by one gene is dependent upon the
production of hair pigment by another gene

Black fur (B) is dominant to brown fur (b),

but in the absence of hair pigment (cc)
mice will appear albino
Epistasis
 Sex-linked Inheritance
•In humans and other mammals,
biological sex is determined by a
pair of sex chromosomes: XY in
males and XX in females.

• A gene located on each either sex

chromosome is called a SEX-LINKED
GENE
• Genes on the X chromosome
are said to be X-linked.
• Genes on the Y chromosome
are said to be Y-linked.

• Many of these traits that are

carried by sex chromosomes
are unrelated to sex
 Sperm Sperm Sperm

Ova Ova Ova

 X-linked traits
 When a gene is present on the X chromosome, but
not on the Y chromosome, it is said to be X-linked
 Females have two copies of each X-linked trait
 Ex:
Eye color in Drosophila (fruit fly) is found in the X
chromosome
XW  dominant trait, normal red eyes
Xw  recessive trait, white eyes
Possible genotypes of the XX drosophila are:
1. XW XW  red eyes
2. XW Xw  red eyes (carrier)
3. Xw Xw  white eyes

Possible genotypes of the XY drosophila are: XWY  red eyes; XwY  white eyes
X-linked genes follow specific patterns of
inheritance
For a recessive X-linked trait to be expressed
 A female needs two copies of the allele
(homozygous)
 A male needs only one copy of the allele
(hemizygous)
X-linked recessive disorders are much more
common in males than in females
X-linked recessive disorders
2 recessive alleles in the genotype will
express the trait/disorder
Ex: Hemophilia
a recessive condition in which a person's blood
does not clot properly
Alleles: XH  normal Xh  disorder-
haemophilia
Ex:
A woman who is a carrier (XH Xh) has children
with a man who is hemizygous for the normal
form (XH ). What is the chance of their sons and
daughters having hemophilia?
 If a man without hemophilia and a woman who is a
carrier of the hemophilia allele have children, what is
the probability that…

X Y H x
X X H h
what is the probability that:
a) they will have a daughter with hemophilia?

b) they will have a son with hemophilia?

c) their first son will have hemophilia?

d) their first daughter will be a carrier?

X X H h a) 0/4 (0%)

b) 1/4 (25%)

X H XH XH XH Xh
c) 1/2 (50%)

d) 1/2 (50%)
Y XH
Y
Xh Y
Queen Victoria’s Legacy in Royal
Families of Europe
Exercise on X-linked
recessive trait
Which of the following pairs of parents is
most likely to produce a daughter with
hemophilia?
A.A hemophiliac mother and an unaffected
father
B.A carrier mother and an unaffected father
C.A carrier mother and a hemophiliac father
D.An unaffected, non-carrier mother and a
hemophiliac father
X-linked recessive disorders
Red-green color blindness. Red-green
color blindness simply means that a person
cannot distinguish shades of red and green
(usually blue-green). Their visual acuity
(ability to see) is normal.
Pedigree Chart for Color-
blindness
EXAMPLE PROBLEM:
● A female heterozygous for normal vision: (we say
she has normal vision,
but is a carrier of the colorblindness allele)

X C X
● A male who is colorblind:
c

Xc Y
What is the probability that:
a) they will have a son who is colorblind?

b) they will have a daughter who is colorblind?

c) their first son will be colorblind?

d) their first daughter will be carrier?

X C Xc a) 1/4 (25%)

b) 1/4 (25%)
X c XC Xc Xc Xc
c) 1/2 (50%)

Y X Y X Y
C c
d) 1/2 (50%)
X-linked dominant trait
One dominant allele in the genotype will
express the trait or disorder
Ex: Fragile X syndrome
Which of the following pedigrees shows a
likely pattern of inheritance in a family
with a history of fragile X syndrome?
Which of the following pedigrees shows a
likely pattern of inheritance in a family
with a history of fragile X syndrome?
Which of the following pedigrees shows a
likely pattern of inheritance in a family
with a history of fragile X syndrome?
Which of the following pedigrees shows a
likely pattern of inheritance in a family
with a history of fragile X syndrome?