Topic 13-Part 2- Gene Interaction

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Learning Outcomes

ü Understand the basis of phenotypic variation

ü Be able to calculate the different modified mendelian ratios
ü Explain the molecular mechanism underlying the different modified
ratios
ü Using the 9:3:3:1 ratio as a foundation, explain how different
modified ratios are derived

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Topic 13
• Epistasis: One gene masks the effect of another
gene.
– Recessive epistasis 9:3:4 F2 ratio
– Dominant epistasis 12:3:1 F2 ratio
– Duplicate recessive epistasis 9:7 F2 ratio
– Duplicate dominant epistasis 15:1 ratio
– Worked problems

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Genetic Interactions: Recessive Epistasis
Recessive epistasis 9:3:4 F2 ratio on top of / over
The recessive allele at one locus is epistatic to alleles at another locus

Example: Labrador retriever coat colour

B locus: pigment colour trait

B Black

b brown

E locus: pigment deposition trait

E Deposition

e no deposition
“ee” epistatic at b locus
2 epistatic alleles gives epistatic effect

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Genetic Interactions: Recessive Epistasis
Example: Labrador retriever coat colour

P: BBEE x bbee
F1: BbEe

“double recessive”
3 extra yellows

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Genetic Interactions: Recessive Epistasis

Example: Labrador retriever coat colour

P: BBEE x bbee
F1: BbEe

9 B_E_
3 bbE_
3 B_ ee
1 bbee

combined - 9:3:4 ratio

epistatic recessive allele

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Genetic Interactions: Dominant Epistasis
Dominant epistasis 12:3:1 F2 ratio
The dominant allele at one locus is epistatic at another locus
Example: Colour in Squash
Locus W Locus Y
W no enzyme 1 - white Y enzyme 2 -> yellow

w enyzme 1 - green y no enzyme 2 -> green

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Genetic Interactions: Dominant Epistasis
dominant epistatic alllele
Example: Colour in Squash
P: WWYY X wwyy
9 : W_Y_
F1: WwYy
3 : Wwyy

3 : wwYy

1: wwyy

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Genetic Interactions: Duplicate Recessive Epistasis
Duplicate recessive epistasis 9:7 F2 ratio
Recessive alleles at either locus is epistatic to other alleles
Example: Colour in Squash snail
Locus A Locus B
A pigmentation B pigmentation

a albino b albino

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Genetic Interactions: Duplicate Recessive Epistasis
Example: Shell colour in snails
P: AABBX aabb
9 : A_B_
F1: AaBb
3 : Aabb

3 : aaBb

1: aabb

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Genetic Interactions: Duplicate Recessive Epistasis
** Study complementation again - another written question on the final

Example: Shell colour in snails

P: AAbbX aaBB F1: AaBb pigmented

albino/albino truebreeds

9:7 (double recessive epistasis)

What concept does this demonstrate? complementation

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Genetic Interactions: Duplicate Dominant Epistasis
Duplicate dominant epistasis AKA redundancy: 15:1 F2 ratio
Dominant allele at either locus epistatic over all receive alleles
Example:
Locus T Locus V
T heart V - heart
v - ovate
t ovate
often result of gene
duplication or whole
genome duplication

Capsella bursa-pastoris (tetraploid)

TTVV ttvv

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

 Genetic Interactions: Duplicate Dominant Epistasis
Example: Colour in Squash
P: TTVV X ttvv
9 : T_V_
F2: TtVv
3 : Ttvv

3 : ttVv

1: ttvv

TTVV ttvv
Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207
 Genetic
Example Question:
Interactions
In Drosophila, red eyes is the wildtype phenotype. There are several different genes that
affect eye color. One allele causes purple eyes and a different allele causes sepia eyes.
Both of these are recessive to the wildtype red eye color. When purple eyed flies are
crossed to sepia eyed flies all the F1 offspring had red eyes. When the F1 offspring are
mated, the following data were obtained:

Explain this pattern of inheritance.

total 795 / 16 = ~50

Recessive epistasis 146 /50 3 /16 Purple eyes ppS_

205 /50 4 / 16
Sepia eyes P_ss
ppss

444 9 / 16 Red eyes

/50
PpS_

punnet square with two loci

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207
Dominant epistasis Locus I —> Epistatic over others

In onions, there are three common colors, white, red, and yellow. White color is caused by a
dominant gene (I) that is epistatic over any other color combinations. In crosses between red and
yellow, red is found to be dominant, due to a dominant gene (R) that is not linked to I. A
homozygous white onion plant that carries the dominant red allele (II RR) is crossed with a yellow
onion plant (iirr).

What is the genotype of the F1 progeny?

IiRr

What is the phenotype of the F1 progeny?

White

What is the phenotypic ratio in the F2 of a dihybrid cross of the F1s

12 White
3 Red
1 Yellow

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207

Dr. Kate St.Onge – Biol 207