inheritance (redirected from disinheritance)

inheritance /in·her·i·tance/ (in-her´i-tans)

1. the acquisition of characters or qualities by transmission from parent to offspring.

2. that which is transmitted from parent to offspring.

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cytoplasmic inheritance  mitochondrial i.

dominant inheritance  see under gene.

extrachromosomal inheritance  mitochondrial i.

intermediate inheritance  inheritance in which the phenotype of the heterozygote falls between that of either homozygote.

maternal inheritance  mitochondrial i.

mitochondrial inheritance  the inheritance of traits controlled by genes on the DNA of mitochondria in the ooplasm; thus the genes are inherited entirely from the maternal side, segregate randomly at meiosis or mitosis, and are variably expressed.

recessive inheritance  see under gene.

sex-linked inheritance  see under gene.

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in·her·i·tance (n-hr-tns)

n.

1. The process of genetic transmission of traits from parents to offspring.

2. A characteristic so inherited.

3. The sum of characteristics genetically transmitted from parents to offspring.

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inheritance

1. the acquisition of characters or qualities by transmission from parent to offspring.

2. that which is transmitted from parent to offspring. See also gene, deoxyribonucleic acid and heredity.

Mendelian inheritance is the basis of all genetic practice, but it has limitations in explaining the small differences that occur in a range of offspring of similar and related matings. Galtonian genetics deals specifically with this problem and is better fitted as a tool in population genetics and in dealing with characters that are dependent on a number of chromosomal loci rather than on a single locus.

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autosomal inheritance

controlled by genes located on autosomes.

intermediate inheritance

inheritance in which the phenotype of the heterozygote falls between that of either homozygote.

maternal inheritance

the transmission of characters that are dependent on peculiarities of the egg cytoplasm produced, in turn, by nuclear genes.

X-linked inheritance

see x-linked.