Allele
An allele is a variant form of a gene
An allele is a variant form of a gene. Genes are segments of DNA that contain the instructions for making proteins, which are essential for carrying out various functions in our bodies. Different alleles arise due to variations in the DNA sequence of a gene.
Each individual inherits one allele from each parent for each gene. For example, let’s consider the gene responsible for determining eye color. There may be different alleles for this gene, such as one allele for blue eyes and another allele for brown eyes. An individual could inherit a blue allele from one parent and a brown allele from the other, resulting in a mixed eye color or a unique combination of alleles.
Alleles can be either dominant or recessive. Dominant alleles are expressed and observed in the phenotype (physical or observable traits), even if only one copy is present. On the other hand, recessive alleles are only observed if an individual has two copies of the recessive allele.
In some cases, alleles can be codominant, which means that both alleles are equally expressed and contribute to the phenotype. For example, in the case of the ABO blood group system, there are three alleles: A, B, and O. If an individual inherits the A allele from one parent and the B allele from the other, both alleles are expressed, resulting in the AB blood type.
Alleles can also be responsible for genetic disorders. For instance, if a person inherits two copies of a recessive allele for a genetic disorder, they may develop the disorder. An example of this is cystic fibrosis, which is caused by inheriting two copies of a defective allele.
Understanding alleles and their inheritance patterns is crucial for studying genetics and learning about how traits are passed down from one generation to the next. Through the study of alleles, scientists can gain insight into the genetic basis of various diseases, as well as the variability and diversity we observe in the traits of different organisms.
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