Fundamental Genetics

Lecture 6

Quantitative
Genetics
John Donnie A. Ramos, Ph.D.
Dept. of Biological Sciences
College of Science
University of Santo Tomas

Kinds of Heritable Traits

‰ Qualitative Traits
‰ with contrasting expressions
‰ discontinuous traits
‰ mostly controlled by a single gene

‰ Quantitative Traits
‰ continuous traits
‰ controlled by multiple genes / polygenes (several
genes located in different chromosomes but are
responsible for a single trait)
‰ phenotypes in ranges
‰ phenotypes show normal distribution curve (bell-
shaped curve)

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Quantitative Trait Examples

‰ Height, skin color, intelligence

‰ Follows a normal curve

Multiple Factor Hypothesis

‰ Several factors or genes can cause
the pattern of inheritance in
continuous traits
‰ Cumulative
‰ Quantitative

‰ Inheritance of height in tobacco was

first studied by Josef Gottlieb
Kolreuter

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Inheritance of Corolla Length

‰ Performed by Edward East (1920)

‰ Nicotiana longiflora

Characteristics of Quantitative Traits

‰ Quantifiable traits ( by measuring, weighing,

counting, etc.)
‰ Caused by 2 or more gene pairs in different
chromosomes
‰ Each gene locus may be additive allele (contributiory
allele) or non-additive allele (non-contributory allele)
‰ Equal effects of each contributory allele
‰ Presence of substantial phenotypic variation
‰ Analysis of polygenic traits requires the study of large
numbers of progeny from a population of organisms.

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Inheritance of kernel color in wheat

‰ Studied by Herman Nilsson-Ehle (1909)

Dark red Medium red Intermediate red light red white

‰ Controlled by 2 gene pairs (R1, R2 and their recessive alleles r1
and r2)
‰ Genes contributing to redness are called contributory alleles
and those that don’t contribute are non-contributory alleles

Inheritance of kernel color in wheat

R1R1R2R2 x r1r1r2r2

R1r1R2r2 x

R1R2 R1r2 r1R2 r1r2

R1R2 R1R1R2R2 R1R1R2r2 R1r1R2R2 R1r1R2r2

R1r2 R1R1R2r2 R1R1r2r2 R1r1R2r2 R1r1r2r2

r1R2 R1r1R2R2 R1R1r2r2 r1r1R2R2 r1r1R2r2

r1r2 R1r1R2r2 R1r1r2r2 r1r1R2r2 r1r1r2r2

1 dark red: 4 medium red :6 intermediate red: 4 light red: 1 white

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Inheritance of kernel color in wheat
‰ Observed phenotypes are caused by the presence or absence
of contributory alleles
1 dark red: 4 medium red :6 intermediate red: 4 light red: 1 white

4 contributory 3 contributory 2 contributory 1 contributory 0 contributory

alleles 0 Non- alleles 1 Non- alleles 2 Non- allele 3 Non- allele 43 Non-
contributory contributory contributory contributory contributory
Allele Allele Alleles Alleles Alleles

R1R2 R1r2 r1R2 r1r2

R1R2 R1R1R2R2 R1R1R2r2 R1r1R2R2 R1r1R2r2

R1r2 R1R1R2r2 R1R1r2r2 R1r1R2r2 R1r1r2r2

r1R2 R1r1R2R2 R1R1r2r2 r1r1R2R2 r1r1R2r2

r1r2 R1r1R2r2 R1r1r2r2 r1r1R2r2 r1r1r2r2

Summary: 1 C4 + 4 C3c + 6 C2c2 + 4 Cc3 + 1c4

Calculating the Number of Genes

Number of Number of Number of Fraction of

Pairs of Genotypic Phenotypic F2 similar
Polygenes Classes Classes to Parents

n 3n 2n+1 1/4n

1 3 3 1/4

2 9 5 1/16

3 27 7 1/64

Binomial Distribution:
(C+c)n = 1 C4 + 4 C3c + 6 C2c2 + 4 Cc3 + 1c4

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Calculating the Number of Genes

Inheritance of skin color in humans

Negro x White

Mulatto x

1/16 Negro: 4/16 Sambo :6/16 Mulatto: 4/16 Quadroon: 1/16 White

Sambo x Quadroon Mulatto x Quadroon

¼ Sambo: 2/4 Mulatto: ¼ Quadroon 1/2 Mulatto: 1/2 Quadroon

1/8 Sambo: 3/8 Mulatto: 3/8 Quadroon: 1/8 White

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Analysis of Polygenes

‰ Uses Biostatistics or Biometry

‰ Uses:
‰ Descriptive summary of sample
‰ Satatistical Inference
‰ Comparison between populations
‰ Statistical Methods:
‰ Mean
‰ Variance
‰ Standard Deviation
‰ Standard Error of the Mean

Mean
‰ Arithmetic average

_ ΣXi
X =
n

‰ Affected by frequency distribution

‰ Cannot distinguish between different types of variations

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Variance
‰ Used to estimate the variation present in large
populations
‰ Represents the average squared deviation of the
measurements from the mean
‰ Example: important in determining the influence of
environment on the phenotype of a polygene
_
Σ(Xi - X )2
s2 =
n-1

Other Statistical tests

‰ Standard Deviation
‰ Used to determine the sample variation around
the mean (using original units of measurement)
‰ Square root of the variance

s = s2

‰ Standard Error of Mean

‰ Used to estimate how much the means of other
similar samples drawn from the same population
might vary
‰ Measures the accuracy of sample mean
_ s
SX =
n

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Analysis of Quantitative Character

18 oz tomato x 6 oz tomato

Mean of F1
_ ΣXi 626
X = = = 12.04 oz
n 52
Mean of F2
_ ΣXi 872
X = = = 12.11 oz
n 72

Analysis of Quantitative Character

Standard deviation = 1.13 = 2.06

Interpretation = 12.04±1.13 = 12.11±2.06
(nearly identical weight) (more variable weights)

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Heritability

‰ Determines the impact of heredity versus environment on

a phenotype
‰ Broad-sense heritability
‰ Measures degree of phenotypic variance
‰ Phenotypic variance is the sum of environmental
vaiance, genetic veriance, and the interaction
between the two.
‰ Narrow-Sense heritability
‰ Measure of potential response to selection
‰ Useful in assessing selection potential in randomly
breeding animal or plant populations
‰ Artificial Selection –selecting specific group
‰ Twin studies in humans

Artificial selection in corn

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Twin studies in humans

Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci

DDT resistance is
polygenic

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Test Yourself

Inheritance of the main internode length (I) in a hypothetical plant involves

quantitative inheritance. The average internode length of plant variety A is 3.2
inches. A second variety (variety B) belonging to the same species has an average
internode length of 2.10 inches. Crossing these two varieties of plants produced an
F1 of a third variety (Variety C) with an average internode length of 2.65 inches.
Selfing of variety C produced an F2 of 25 % similar to variety A; 50 % similar to
variety C and 25 % similar to variety B.

1. How many polygene pairs are involved in the inheritance of the internode length?
2. What is the approximate contribution (in inches) of each polygene?
3. How many contributory alleles are found in variety A?
4. How many contributory alleles are found in variety B?
5. How many contributory alleles are found in variety C?
6. Give the genotype of variety A
7. Give the genotype of variety B
8. Give the genotype of variety C

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