Animal Breeding and Genetics (12226)

Instructor: Dr. Jihad Abdallah Topic 5: Types of gene action

1. Dominance
An interaction between alleles at the same locus such that in heterozygotes, one allele has more effect than the other. The allele with the greater effect is dominant over the other allele (called recessive).

 Complete dominance: a form of dominance in which the

expression of the heterozygote is the same (identical) to the expression of the homozygous dominant genotype.

A1A2 A1A1 midpoint A2A2 A2 is dominant over A1

 Examples:
- Mendels Pea plants (the tall allele, T, is completely dominant over the dwarf allele, t) TT tall Tt tall tt dwarf

- Presence and absence of horns in cattle (the polled allele is dominant over the horned allele): PP polled Pp polled pp horned

- Coat color in cattle (the black color allele is dominant over the red color allele) - BB black - Bb black - bb red - Spider syndrome in sheep: - SS normal lambs - Ss normal lambs - ss crooked legs (have the disease phenotype) The s allele is lethal recessive.

 Partial dominance (incomplete dominance): a form of dominance in which the expression of the heterozygote is intermediate to the expression of the homozygous genotypes but more closely resembles the expression of the homozygous dominant genotype.
A1A1 midpoint A1A2 A2A2 A2 is dominant over A1

A1A1 A1A2

midpoint

A2A2 A1is dominant over A2

 Example: the HYPP (Hyperkalamic Periodic Paralysis) in horses. The allele causing the syndrome is partially dominant over the normal allele. Homozygous individuals for the disease allele have more severe syndrome than the heterozygotes.

 Codominance: the two alleles of a single gene are responsible for the production of two distinct and detectable gene products. In such case the joint expression of both alleles in a heterozygote is called codominance.
Example: MN blood group in humans is under control of an autosomal locus on chrosome 4 with two alleles: LM LM M antigen LM LN M antigen and N antigen LN LN N antigen
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Overdominance
It is a form of dominance (interaction between alleles on the same locus) such that the heterozygous genotype displays characteristics more beneficial than the homozygous genotypes. Another term for overdominance is heterozygote advantage. For example the heterozygote may be larger, disease resistant or better able to withstand harsh environmental conditions.
A1A1 midpoint A2A2 A1A2 A2 is dominant over A1

A1A2

A1A1

midpoint

A2A2 A1 is dominant over A2

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 Example: the allele causing sickle-cell anemia confers resistance to malaria in the heterozygotes: HbA HbA and HbS HbS are less resistant to malaria than HbA HbS individuals. Heterosis or hybrid vigor which results when crossing two different breeds of animals or two plant varieties may result from overdominance at one or more loci.

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2. Additive Gene Action (no dominance)

Each allele has a specific value (average effect) that it contributes to the final phenotype (independent gene effects) The expression of the heterozygote is exactly midway between the expressions of the homozygous genotypes.
A1A1 A1A2 midpoint Phenotypic expression No allele is dominant over the other
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A2A2

3. Epistasis
An interaction among genes at different loci such that the expression of genes at one locus depends on the alleles present at one ore more other loci. Example: Labrador dogs have three colors (black, chocolate and yellow) determined by genes at two loci: B locus (black color locus) and E locus (extension of pigmentation locus) B_E_ black (BBEE, BBEe, BbEE, BbEe) bbE_ chocolate (bbEE, bbEe) _ _ ee yellow (BBee, Bbee, bbee) - Only yellow dogs breed true (if two yellow dogs are 12 mated, they produce only yellow dogs)

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