SEX INFLUENCED

AND
SEX LIMITED TRAITS
• The traits which are controlled by genes present on the autosomes
but whose expression is influenced by the sex of the individual are
called Sex influenced traits

• The end product of some gene actions (biochemical and

physiological functions) is influenced by harmones,
ex: the end product of autosomal genes in some cases behave
differently in the presence of the male and female sex harmones
 SHEEP – HORNED AND HORNLESS CONDITION

• Dorset sheep breed – both sexes are horned represented as ‘hh’

• Suffolk sheep breed – neither of the sex is horned and is represented
as ‘HH”

Suffolk female × Dorset male Dorset female × Suffolk male

HH hh hh HH

F1 Hh F1 Hh

• Here all Hh males are horned, while the females are polled
• From this it is evident that the gene causing horns acts as dominant
in males but acts as recessive in females
• i.e., the phenotypic expression of the trait in heterozygote is
dependent on the sex of the individuals
• The phenotypes of three possible genotypes are as shown

Phenotype
Genotype Rams Ewes

HH polled polled
Hh horned polled
hh horned horned
 CATTLE COAT COLOR:
• Coat color in Ayershire breed of cattle shows two color patterns
– Mahogany white: M – dark brown with white spots
– Red-white : m
• Both m and m are autosomal alleles
Mahogany & white × Red & white
MM Mm

F1 Mm
Mahogany white Red white
males females

F2 3(MM,Mm):1(mm) 1(MM):3(Mm,mm)
Mahogany Red Mahogany Red
males females
• The same results were also obtained in a reciprocal cross
• The phenotypes for the following genotypes are

Phenotype
Genotype Males Females

MM Mahogany & white Mahogany & white

Mm Mahogany & white Red & white
mm Red & white Red & white
• One allele dominant in males and other in females
 HUMANS: Baldness pattern
• Baldness in man may result due to thyroid disease, syphilis etc.
• It depends on heredity and characterized by hair loss on the front and
top of head (but not on the sides) and is controlled by autosomal
gene which is dominant in men and recessive in women
• More common in men than in women which resembles sex-linked
recessive trait but the differentiation is that the father directly
transmits the gene to half of his sons
• Baldness: B, non baldness: b
Phenotype
Genotype Males Females

BB Bald Bald
Bb Bald Non bald
bb Non bald Non bald
• “Sex influenced inheritance exists when the same genotype causes
different phenotypes in the two sexes and these are the heterozygotes that
show variability in phenotypic expression between the sexes”

• The variability in the phenotypic expression of the same genotype in the

two sexes is largely due to the quantitative and qualitative differences in
sex harmones between the two sexes.

• The sex harmones provide the “internal environment” for the expression
of genes i.e., the hormonal status of an animal is a part of its environment
in which genes express

• This is the reason that examples of sex influenced traits are mostly found
in the higher animals with well developed endocrine system
SEX LIMITED INHERITANCE
• The traits which are controlled by genes present on the autosomes
but whose phenotype is limited to only one sex are called sex limited
traits
• Ex: plumage color in poultry
• In poultry the feather patterns are of two types
“Hen – feathered” and “Cock – feathered”
• The tail and neck feathers of the cock are longer and curved(sickle
shaped) where as in hens these are shorter and rounder
• These feather phenotypes are controlled by a single autosomal gene
• Hen – feathering by dominant gene – H
• Cock – feathering by its recessive allele – h (hh0
• In certain breeds like Seabright Bantam both males and females are
hen – feathered while in Campines and Hamgurghs both hen –
feathered males and Cock – feathered males occur

Cock – feathered males × Hen – feathered female

hh Hh

F1 Hh : hh
Hen – feathered Cock – feathered : Hen – feathered
males & females male female

• ‘H’ inhibits cock – feathering only in the presence of sex harmones

either of male or female
• ‘h’ does not inhibit cock – feathering but it can show its effect only
in the absence of female sex harmones
• This indicates that certain genotypes, even though homozygous
express only in one sex and fail to express in opposite sex
• Ordinary breeds of poultry like the Leghorns , RIR and others in
which males are cock – feathered and females are hen – feathered
would be all of the genotype ‘hh’
• Where as breeds having both kinds of males i.e., both hen –
feathered and cock – feathered like the Campines and Hamburghs
would show the following features
Phenotypes
Genotypes Cock Hen

HH Hen – feathered Hen – feathered

Hh Hen – feathered Hen – feathered
hh Cock - feathered Hen – feathered
• Other examples:
– Cryptorchidism in males – failure of one or both testis to descend into scrotum
– Beard in man – though the genes are present both in males and females, it shows
its expression predominantly in man but not in women, due to male sex harmone
that stimulates the expression of this trait

– LIVESTOCK:
Sex limited trait in females
– Ovulation rate
– Litter size
– Milk production
– Egg production etc.
• The reasons for the expression of a trait in one sex only may be
– Differences in internal (harmonal) environment between sexes
– Anatomical dissimilarities between sexes

• The difference between sex influenced and sex limited traits is

“In sex limited inheritance a phenotype is restricted to one sex only where
as in sex influenced inheritance the same phenotype occurs in both sexes
but is more frequent in one sex than the other sex”

• Both the sex limited and sex influenced traits are controlled by autosomal
genes and thus follow the normal Mendelian pattern of inheritance

• In contrast the sex – linked traits are controlled by genes located on sex
chromosomes and show distinctive pattern of transmission