Sri Ramakrishna Mission

Vidhyalaya

PBG 201 Principles of Genetics and

Cytogenetics

Lecture - 20
 Linkage
• Genetic linkage describes the way in which
two genes that are located close to each other
on a chromosome are often inherited
together
• This is phenomenon is not obeying the
Mendal’s law of independent assortment of
genes.
Eg. Maize – Seed color and seed shape
Drosophilla – Body color and wing type
Bateson and Punnet experiment
Coupling and Repulsion linkage
 Chromosome Theory of Linkage
• Genes that show linkage are situated in the same
chromosome.
• Genes are arranged in a linear fashion in the
chromosome i.e., linkage of genes is linear.
• The distance between the linked genes is
inversely proportional to the strength of linkage.
• Linked genes remain in their original combination
during course of inheritance.
• The linked genes show two types of arrangement
on the chromosome. Cis arrangement (AB/ab)
and Trans arrangement (Ab/aB)
 Types of Linkage
Depending upon the presence or absence of new
combinations or non-parental combinations, linkage can
be of two types
• Complete linkage
– If two or more characters are inherited together and
consistently appear in two or more generations in their
original or parental combinations, it is called complete linkage.
– These genes do not produce non-parental combinations.
Eg. Genes for grey body and long wings in male Drosophila
• Incomplete Linkage:
– Incomplete linkage is exhibited by those genes which produce
some percentage of non-parental combinations.
– Such genes are located distantly on the chromosome.
– It is due to accidental or occasional breakage of chromosomal
segments during crossing over.
 Linkage group
• in genetics, all of the genes on a
single chromosome.
• They are inherited as a group; that is,
during cell division
• They act and move as a unit rather than
independently.