Monday, March 21, 2011

Lecture, chapter 5 - Polygenic and multifactorial inheritance

After finishing chapter 4 on pedigree analysis (discussing age-related phenotypic expression, penetrance, and expressivity), we started chapter 5, on multifactorial and polygenic inheritance.

We discussed the differences between continuous and discontinuous traits, and how they are related to the number of genes that affect them. Discontinuous traits must be described in terms of measurements taken in a population rather than qualitatively describing individuals. We defined complex, multifactorial, and polygenic traits.

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