Phenotypic trait

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A phenotypic trait, or simply trait, is a distinct variant of a phenotypic

characteristic of an organism; it may be either inherited or determined
environmentally, but typically occurs as a combination of the two.[1] For
example, eye color is a character of an organism, while blue, brown and
hazel are traits.
True gray eyes; see also eye color

Contents
1 Definition
2 Genetic origin of traits in diploid organisms
3 Mendelian expression of genes in diploid organisms
4 Biochemistry of dominance and extensions to expression of
traits
5 Schizotypy
6 See also
7 Citations
8 References

Definition
A phenotypic trait is an obvious, observable, and measurable trait; it is the expression of genes in an observable
way. An example of a phenotypic trait is hair color; underlying genes, which make up the genotype, "control" the
hair color, but the actual hair color, the part we see, is the phenotype. Although all aspects of the phenotype are
controlled by the genetic make-up of the organism, at least to some extent, they are also influenced by the
environmental conditions the organism is subject to across its ontogenetic development,[2] including various
epigenetic processes. Regardless of the relative degree of genetic versus environmental control, the phenotype
encompasses all of the characteristics of an organism, including traits at multiple levels of biological organization,
ranging from behavior and evolutionary history of life traits (e.g., litter size), through morphology (e.g., body
height and composition), physiology (e.g., blood pressure), cellular characteristics (e.g., membrane lipid
composition, mitochondrial densities), components of biochemical pathways, and even messenger RNA.

Genetic origin of traits in diploid organisms

The inheritable unit that may influence a trait is called a gene. A gene is a portion of a chromosome, which is a
very long and compacted string of DNA and proteins. An important reference point along a chromosome is the
centromere; the distance from a gene to the centromere is referred to as the gene's locus or map location.

The nucleus of a diploid cell contains two of each chromosome, with homologous (mostly identical) pairs of
chromosomes having the same genes at the same loci.

Different phenotypic traits are caused by different forms of genes, or alleles, which arise by mutation in a single
individual and are passed on to successive generations.
Mendelian expression of genes in diploid organisms
A gene is only a DNA code sequence; the slightly different variations of that sequence are called alleles. Alleles
can be significantly different and produce different product RNAs.

Combinations of different alleles thus go on to generate different traits through the information flow charted above.
For example, if the alleles on homologous chromosomes exhibit a "simple dominance" relationship, the trait of the
"dominant" allele shows in the phenotype.

Gregor Mendel pioneered modern genetics. His most famous analyses were based on clear-cut traits with simple
dominance. He determined that the heritable units, what we now call genes, occurred in pairs. His tool was
statistics

Biochemistry of dominance and extensions to expression of traits

The biochemistry of the intermediate proteins determines how they interact in the cell. Therefore, biochemistry
predicts how different combinations of alleles will produce varying traits.

Extended expression patterns seen in diploid organisms include facets of incomplete dominance, codominance, and
multiple alleles. Incomplete dominance is the condition in which neither allele dominates the other in one
heterozygote. Instead the phenotype is intermediate in heterozygotes. Thus you can tell that each allele is present in
the heterozygote.[3][3] Codominance refers to the allelic relationship that occurs when two alleles are both
expressed in the heterozygote, and both phenotypes are seen simultaneously.[4][4] Multiple alleles refers to the
situation when there are more than 2 common alleles of a particular gene. Blood groups in humans is a classic
example. The ABO blood group proteins are important in determining blood type in humans, and this is
determined by different alleles of the one locus. [5][5]

Schizotypy
Schizotypy is an example of a psychological phenotypic trait found in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Studies
have shown that gender and age influences the expression of schizotypal traits. For instance, certain schizotypal
traits may develop further during adolescence, whereas others stay the same during this period.

See also
Allometric engineering of traits
Character displacement
Phene
Skill

Citations
1. Lawrence, Eleanor (2005) Henderson's Dictionary of Biology. Pearson, Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-127384-1
2. *Campbell, Neil; Reece, Jane, Biology, Benjamin Cummings
3. Bailey, Regina. "What is incomplete dominance" (http://biology.about.com/b/2007/09/29/what-is-incomplete-dominanc
e.htm). About.com.
4. McClean, Philip. "Variations to Mendel's First Law of Genetics" (http://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~mcclean/plsc431/mend
el/mendel2.htm).
5. Unknown. "Multiple Alleles" (http://www.occc.edu/biologylabs/Documents/Tutorial_Genetics/Multiple_alleles.htm).
References
Lawrence>Lawrence, Eleanor (2005) Henderson's Dictionary of Biology. Pearson, Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-
13-127384-1
Campbell, Neil; Reece, Jane (March 2011) [2002], "14", Biology (Sixth ed.), Benjamin Cummings

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Categories: Classical genetics

This page was last edited on 17 July 2017, at 18:48.

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