What makes something a complex or multifactorial trait?
Complex or multifactorial traits result from a combination of multiple genetic and environmental factors (such as lifestyle choices about diet and exercise), only some of which might be known. Accordingly, no single gene or environmental factor causes a complex trait.
What is a complex trait in genetics?
Complex traits are believed to result from variation within multiple genes and their interaction with behavioral and environmental factors. Complex traits do not follow readily predictable patterns of inheritance. This distinction between monogenic and complex traits, while useful, can be overly simplistic.
What are complex or multifactorial disorders?
Common medical problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity do not have a single genetic cause—they are likely associated with the effects of multiple genes in combination with lifestyle and environmental factors. Conditions caused by many contributing factors are called complex or multifactorial disorders.
What are some examples of multifactorial genetic disorders?
Types of multifactorial traits and disorders
- Birth defects such as neural tube defects and cleft palate.
- Cancers of the breast, ovaries, bowel, prostate, and skin.
- High blood pressure and high cholesterol.
- Diabetes.
- Alzheimer disease.
- Schizophrenia.
- Bipolar disorder.
- Arthritis.
Which diseases are complex traits?
Examples of complex traits include disorders such as autism, cardiac disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and asthma. Complex traits are believed to result from gene-gene and gene-environment interactions, genetic heterogeneity, and potentially other yet unknown reasons.
What is meant by complex trait?
A trait that does not follow Mendelian Inheritance patterns, is likely dervied from multiple genes, and exhibits a large variety of phenotypes.
Is intelligence a complex trait?
Like most aspects of human behavior and cognition, intelligence is a complex trait that is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Many studies rely on a measure of intelligence called the intelligence quotient (IQ). Researchers have conducted many studies to look for genes that influence intelligence.
What is a common complex disorder?
Complex diseases include asthma, diabetes?, epilepsy, hypertension, manic depression and schizophrenia. Some developmental abnormalities are also included, such as cleft lip and congenital heart defects.
What are complex physical traits?
Complex traits, also known as quantitative traits, are traits that do not behave according to simple Mendelian inheritance laws. Examples of complex traits include height, circadian rhythms, enzyme kinetics, and many diseases including diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
Is asthma a complex trait?
Asthma is actually a very complex trait, and is caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Having a relative with asthma can increase someone’s chances of having it.
What do you mean by multifactorial inheritance in genetics?
Medical Genetics: Multifactorial Inheritance What is multifactorial inheritance? Multifactorial inheritance is when more than one factor causes a trait or health problem, such as a birth defect or chronic illness. The main factor is genes.
Can a polygenic trait be a multifactorial trait?
Since there is seldom a clear distinction between the two, both of these entities are often considered together. Some geneticists tend to use the term polygenic for any trait whose inheritance is complex, whereas others apply the term multifactorial equally indiscriminately.
Which is a complex or multifactorial disorder?
Some disorders, such as sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis, are caused by variants (also known as mutations) in single genes. The causes of many other disorders, however, are much more complex.
Who is at risk for a multifactorial trait?
Your risk for a multifactorial trait or condition depends on how close you are to a family member with the trait or condition. For example, you’re at higher risk for a trait or disorder if your brother or sister has it. You’re at lower risk if a cousin has it.
