Understanding Allele Interaction: Exploring Dominant and Masked Alleles in Genetics

An allele that is masked when a dominant allele is present

In genetics, alleles are variants of a gene that determine specific traits or characteristics

In genetics, alleles are variants of a gene that determine specific traits or characteristics. When talking about allele interaction, we often refer to dominant and recessive alleles.

A dominant allele is one that will be expressed or observed as a trait even if only one copy of it is present in an individual’s genotype. On the other hand, a recessive allele is only expressed as a trait when two copies of it are present in an individual’s genotype.

Now, let’s discuss the concept of an allele being masked. When a dominant allele is present, it will always be expressed, meaning that the corresponding trait will be observed in the individual, even if there is a recessive allele also present. In this case, the presence of the dominant allele masks the expression of the recessive allele.

For example, let’s consider a trait like hair color. Let’s say brown hair color is determined by a dominant allele (B) and blonde hair color is determined by a recessive allele (b). If an individual has a genotype of BB (one copy of dominant allele), they will have brown hair. If the individual has a genotype of Bb (one copy of dominant allele and one copy of recessive allele), they will still have brown hair because the dominant allele (B) masks the expression of the recessive allele (b). Only if an individual has a genotype of bb (two copies of recessive allele) will they have blonde hair because there isn’t a dominant allele present to mask its expression.

In summary, an allele is masked when a dominant allele is present. The dominant allele will be expressed, while the presence of the recessive allele will not be observed in the individual’s phenotype.

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