Gene-environment interaction
You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.
Gene-environment interaction is a term used to describe any phenotypic effects that are due to interactions between the environment and genes. Naive nature versus nurture debates assume that variation in a given trait is primarily due to either genes, or the individual's experiences. The current scientific view is that neither genetics nor environment are solely responsible for producing individual variation, and that virtually all traits show gene-environment interaction. The specific pattern that relates the average expression of trait across a range of environments is known as a genotype's norm of reaction.
A classic example of gene-environment interaction is Tryon's (1942) artificial selection experiment on maze-running ability in rats. Tryon produced a remarkable difference in maze running ability in two selected lines after seven generations of selecting "bright" and "dull" lines by breeding the best and worst maze running rats with others of similar abilities. The difference between these lines was clearly genetic since offspring of the two lines, raised under identical typical lab conditions, performed too differently. This difference disappeared in a single generation, if those rats were raised in an enriched environment (Cooper & Zubek 1958) with more objects to explore and more social interaction. This result shows that maze running ability is the product of a gene-by-environment interaction, the genetic effect is only seen under some environmental conditions.
References
- Cooper, R. M. & Zubek, J. P. (1958). Effects of enriched and restricted early environments on the learning ability of bright and dull rats. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 12:159–164.
- Tryon, R. C (1940). Genetic differences in maze-learning ability in rats. Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education 39:111-119.
- Tryon, R. C. (1942). Individual differences. in F. A. Moss (ed) Comparative psychology (Rev. Ed.). Prentice-Hall: NY.
See also
The development of phenotype | |
|---|---|
| Key concepts | Genotype-phenotype distinction · Norms of reaction · Gene-environment interaction · Heritability · Quantitative genetics |
| Genetic architecture | Dominance relationship · Epistasis · Polygenic inheritance · Pleiotropy · Plasticity · Canalisation · Fitness landscape |
| Non-genetic influences | Epigenetics · Maternal effect · Dual inheritance theory |
| Developmental architecture | Segmentation · Modularity |
| Evolution of genetic systems | Evolvability · Mutational robustness · Evolution of sex |
| Influential figures | C. H. Waddington · Richard Lewontin |
| Debates | Nature versus nurture |
| List of evolutionary biology topics | |
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
