What Is Phenotype?-Definition, Examples, and Relation with Genotype | Relationship Between Genotype And Phenotype

Phenotype simply means a trait that can be seen or observed. Just like the term phenomenon, Pheno simply means observe. It can therefore refer to anything from a common attribute, like height or hair color, to the presence or absence of disease.

Phenotypes are frequently used to refer to a difference in DNA sequence across individuals with different traits, such as height, hair color, or sickness.

Relationship Between Genotype And Phenotype

It is important to keep in mind that environmental factors might sometimes have a greater impact on phenotypes than genetic factors. So a phenotype and genotype may or may not be directly related.

Generally, phenotype and genetics do not always correlate well. Environmental aspects like a person’s nutrition, physical activity, the proportion of smoking, etc. mostly have an impact. All of these are environmental factors that also have an impact on phenotypic traits.

Organisms having identical genotypes, such as identical twins, later show dissimilar phenotypes. It happens as a result of environmental influences. This is because an organism is exposed to different environmental stimuli as it grows.

The height and hair color are examples of phenotype. In addition to obvious characteristics that may be examined in a lab, phenotypes also take into account blood cell or hormone levels.

The following equation has typically been used to explain how genotype and phenotype interact.

Genotype + Environmental Stimuli = Phenotype

Phenotypic Variations

A vital requirement for evolution via natural selection is phenotypic diversity, which results from heritable genetic variation. Natural selection indirectly changes the genetic makeup of a population through the contribution of phenotypes since the live organism as a whole contributes (or does not contribute) to the following generation.

Natural selection-based evolution would not be possible without phenotypic diversity.

What Is The Difference Between Trait And Phenotype?

A trait is a characteristic of the phenotype of the organism. the trait is also known as the phenotypic trait in genetics. An organism’s phenotype is made up of various traits.

The qualities may be genetically determined, acquired as a result of environmental factors, or the outcome of the interaction between the two. Consider the character attribute of hair color, which could be black, blonde, ginger, or brunette.

Examples Of Phenotype

 A phenotype is more than just a physical characteristic. Earwax type, height, blood type, eye color, freckles, and hair color are phenotypic examples in humans.

Humans also have phenotypes that affect how they look. For instance, your genes at least partially determine your height and eye color phenotypes.

A phenotype can also be a behavior. Border collies were designed to herd sheep, therefore even if they have never seen a sheep in their lives, they will exhibit herding habits, such as circling your home and gathering all of your cushions.

The majority of genes produce enzymes in the interior of our cells rather than anything as dramatic as altering our eye color. These enzymes carry out several minor tasks that are critical to our survival.

How Genotype Affect Phenotype?

DNA contains genes that act as a recipe for various proteins. A gene’s several alleles are minor variations on the same basic blueprint. An allele can occasionally be a flawed equation. If the gene for the brown pigment in the eyes is damaged, one won’t have brown eyes, even if they have a completely working copy of the gene.

He would have the phenotype of blue eyes and you would have the phenotype of brown eyes because eyes without pigment appear blue.

Latest Research in Field of Phenotype

• Scientists have studied the important role of Myoepithelial cells (MECs) in the breast gland, including their function as a barrier during neoplastic transformation. MECs can change, leading to a variety of morphological presentations in breast tumors. A study reviews the spectrum of MEC lesions and their correlation with prognosis. [1]
• Scientists have studied how melanoma can switch between different transcriptional states or phenotypes, leading to drug resistance. Melanoma cell plasticity involves changes in immune cells, fibroblasts, and the extracellular matrix. This review discusses recent findings on melanoma phenotype switching and its impact on immunotherapy resistance. [2]
• Scientists have studied the factors that contribute to successful electronic (e)-phenotype specification, which is challenging for non informaticist investigators. E-phenotype validation rates varied by clinical domain and query characteristics, with better performance in infectious, rheumatic, neonatal, and cancer domains. Challenges include differentiating clinical events from patient characteristics, configuring temporal constraints, and accessing quality data. Successful e-phenotyping requires highly specific e-phenotypes designed by informaticists and data brokers. [3]
• Scientists imputed whole-body imaging adiposity phenotypes in UK Biobank to study the genetic contribution to obesity. Using these imputed phenotypes in over 392,000 participants, hundreds of genome-wide significant associations were found, with six replicating in independent cohorts. ADAMTS14 was identified as a leading causal gene candidate and further investigated in a mouse knockout model, showing reduced adiposity and improved metabolic rate. Phenotypic imputation at scale offers deeper biological insights into the genetics of human adiposity and could lead to therapeutic targets. [4]
• A late-onset autosomal-dominant hereditary polyneuropathy in five Norwegian families is linked to a heterozygous variant in the SLC12A6 gene. The identical variant in all 10 patients was identified, leading to a significant reduction in potassium influx. This expands the spectrum of SLC12A6 disease to include late-onset autosomal-dominant axonal neuropathy with predominant sensory deficits. [5]