maternal inheritance

(redirected from Non-mendelian inheritance)
Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

inheritance

[in-her´ĭ-tans]

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.

intermediate inheritance inheritance in which the phenotype of the heterozygote falls between that of the two homozygotes.

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

ma·ter·nal in·her·i·tance

transmission of characters that are dependent on properties of the egg cytoplasm produced by nuclear genes or by mitochondrial genes or both.

maternal inheritance

the transmission of traits or conditions controlled by cytoplasmic factors within the ovum that are not self-replicating and are determined by genes within the nucleus. An example of such a characteristic is the direction of coiling in the shells of snails. Also called maternal effect.

maternal inheritance

Genetics An inheritance pattern displayed by mitochondrial genes that are propagated from one generation to the next through mom; the mitochondria of the zygote come almost entirely from the ovum. See Gene, Inheritance, Mitochondria, Zygote.

maternal inheritance

a form of CYTOPLASMIC INHERITANCE in which genes are passed to the offspring from the female only.

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.

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.

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

Beyond the fact that the plan emphasizes non-Mendelian inheritance, it also reveals the important association between mitochondria and human disease.

These mutations may be inherited (mtDNA is characterized by unique maternal inheritance, a classic example of non-Mendelian inheritance and an important element of this learning plan) or may arise randomly.

The introduction of this non-Mendelian inheritance pattern led to a discussion of mitochondrial genetics, with an emphasis on the contribution of mtDNA to oxidative phosphorylation and the important harmful consequences of mtDNA mutations on this process.

Teaching mitochondrial genetics & disease: a GENA project curriculum intervention

Biologists, physicists, and other researchers explore the bases of Mendelian dominance as a pre-requisite for understanding the more complex non-Mendelian inheritance.

The Biology of Genetic Dominance

Several characteristics in animal models, including high frequency and non-Mendelian inheritance patterns, have suggested an epigenetic mechanism, possibly involving hormone changes in offspring.

Characteristics of preconceptional carcinogenesis in animal models, including non-Mendelian inheritance patterns (9), rates that are much higher than expected for point mutation (10), and absence of mutations in cancer genes (11,12), have led us to propose that the mechanism is epigenetic (13,14).

Increased serum corticosterone and glucose in offspring of chromium(III)-treated male mice. (Articles)