Hey I'm doing a report on clubfoot and I just researched this about it:
"Complex segregation analyses suggest that
the most likely inheritance pattern is a single gene of
major effect, operating against a polygenic background."
what does it mean by "operating against a polygenetic background"?
Thanks!
A polygenic background means that several genes may be responsible for a specific condition.
Check this definition.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/polygenic
I understand that, but how can it say that one gene is operating against a whole bunch of genes?
When it says that the inheritance pattern of clubfoot is a single gene of major effect "operating against a polygenic background," it means that while a single gene plays a significant role in causing clubfoot, there are also multiple other genes involved in the condition.
To understand this further, let's break it down:
1. Single gene of major effect: This refers to a specific gene that has a substantial impact on the development of clubfoot. In other words, mutations or variations in this particular gene significantly increase the risk of clubfoot.
2. Polygenic background: This term refers to the involvement of multiple genes in the overall development of clubfoot. While the single gene of major effect is responsible for the primary contribution to clubfoot, there are also other genes (polygenic) that contribute to the overall risk of developing the condition. These additional genes may not individually have as strong an effect as the single gene of major effect, but their combined influence can still contribute to the occurrence of clubfoot.
So, in summary, the statement suggests that clubfoot is mainly influenced by a single gene with a substantial impact (single gene of major effect), while multiple other genes (polygenic background) also play a role in increasing the overall risk of developing clubfoot.