Maternal effect
Maternal effect is a situation where the phenotype of an organism is determined not by its own genotype, but by the genotype of its mother.
Pronunciation
- IPA: /məˈtɜːrnl ɪˈfɛkt/
Etymology
The term "maternal effect" is derived from the Latin words "mater" meaning mother, and "effectus" meaning result or outcome.
Definition
In genetics, a maternal effect occurs when the phenotype of an offspring is determined by the genotype of its mother. This can happen if the mother provides a certain type of gene or allele to the offspring that influences its phenotype.
Related Terms
- Genotype: The genetic makeup of an organism.
- Phenotype: The observable characteristics or traits of an organism.
- Gene: A unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.
- Allele: One of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome.
Examples
Maternal effects can have a significant impact on the development of an organism. For example, in Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, the direction of the shell coiling in snails, and the early development of the embryo in mammals are all influenced by maternal effects.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Maternal effect
- Wikipedia's article - Maternal effect
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