Lesson 8

Non-Mendelian Genetics
 Non- Mendelian Genetics
 Non-Mendelian inheritance is any pattern of
inheritance in which traits do not segregate in
accordance with Mendel's laws.
 These laws describe the inheritance of traits
linked to single genes on chromosomes in the
nucleus. In Mendelian inheritance, each parent
contributes one of two possible alleles for a
trait.
Non- Mendelian Genetics
 Incomplete Dominance

 In incomplete dominance, the

dominant allele only partially
masks the presence of the
recessive allele.
Incomplete Dominance
 Codominance

 Codominance is very similar to incomplete

dominance because heterozygotes can also
show the effect of two different alleles.
 However, when two alleles are codominant to

each other, they both show up distinctly in the

heterozygote — the alleles don’t blend their
effects like they do in incomplete dominance.
Codominance
Codominance
 Codominance
 The ABO markers for human blood type are an
excellent example of codominance.
 Three alleles for blood type exist in the human

population:
allele IA, allele IB, and allele i. The IA, IB, and I
alleles are the blueprints for enzymes that
attach carbohydrates to the surfaces of your red
blood cells:
 Codominance
✓ If you have allele IA, then you make an
enzyme that attaches carbohydrate A to your
blood cells.
✓ If you have allele IB, then you make an
enzyme that attaches carbohydrate B to your
blood cells.
✓ Allele i is nonfunctional and won’t result in
either carbohydrate A or carbohydrate B being
attached to your blood cells.
Codominance
Codominance
 Pleiotropic Genes

 Some genes affect a trait that is connected to

many different characteristics. Genes that affect
more than one trait are called pleiotropic genes.
For example, people who have sickle cell anemia
have two copies of a recessive allele for defective
hemoglobin. The defective hemoglobin changes
shape when oxygen levels in the cell decrease,
causing the red blood cells to collapse, or sickle.
On the one hand, the hemoglobin gene controls
the structure and function of hemoglobin.
 Pleiotropic Genes

 Human eye color is often used as an example

of dominant and recessive alleles. Alleles for
blue eyes (b) are recessive to alleles for brown
eyes (B), the story goes, so if you have two
alleles for blue eyes (bb), your eyes are blue. If
you have one or two alleles for brown eyes (Bb
or BB), your eyes are brown.
Polygenic and Pleiotropy
Polygenic and Pleiotropy
 Linked Genes

 One of the biggest surprises for scientists

studying genetics after Mendel is that some
traits break the Law of Independent
Assortment. When an individual who is
heterozygous for two traits makes gametes,
the prediction is that all possible
combinations of alleles will occur in the
gametes.
Linked genes
Linked genes
Sex linked traits
Sex linked traits