Polygenic Inheritance Definition

Polygenic inheritance, also known as quantitative inheritance, refers to a

single inherited phenotypic trait that is controlled by two or more
different genes.

In a system which differs from Mendelian Genetics, where monogenic traits

are determined by the different alleles of a single gene, polygenetic traits
may display a range of possible phenotypes, determined by a number of
different genes and the interactions between them.

The traits that are determined by polygenic inheritance are not simply an
effect of dominance and recessivity, and do not exhibit complete
dominance as in Mendelian Genetics, where one allele dominates or
masks another. Instead, polygenic traits exhibit incomplete dominance so
the phenotype displayed in offspring is a mixture of the phenotypes
displayed in the parents. Each of the genes that contributes to a polygenic
trait, has an equal influence and each of the alleles has an additive
effect on the phenotype outcome.

Because of the inheritance mode patterns, the physical traits that are
controlled by polygenic inheritance, such as hair color, height and skin
color, as well as the non-visible traits such as blood pressure, intelligence,
autism and longevity, occur on a continuous gradient, with many variations
of quantifiable increments.

Polygenic inheritance should not be confused with the effects caused

by multiple alleles. In the case of multiple alleles, a gene contains several
different allele variants on the same locus of each chromosome, for
example the three different alleles which control for blood type – A, B & O.
The probability of an offspring inheriting a certain characteristic from its
parents can be determined using a punnet square, however, in reality there
may be large numbers of different genes controlling for a single phenotype
trait, so it becomes difficult to demonstrate. Fortunately, the distribution of
phenotypes determined through polygenic inheritance usually fits into
a normal distribution of probabilities, with most offspring displaying an
intermediate phenotype of the two parents.

Using a simplified example of a polygenetic trait controlled by only three

genes, this becomes easier to visualize.

Examples of Polygenic Inheritance

Skin Color: The pigment melanin is responsible for dark coloration in the
skin and there are at least three genes, which control for human skin color.
Using a hypothetical example where the production of melanin is controlled
by contributing alleles (denoted here as A, B and C), resulting in dark skin
color, and therefore light skin color is produced by non contributing
alleles (denoted here as a, b and c), it is possible to see how the spectrum
of different skin colors can result in the offspring.

It is important to remember here that in polygenic inheritance, alleles do

not display dominance over others, rather, each contributing allele gives an
additive effect rather than a masking effect, and so the way that the alleles
interact is different to those in Mendelian genetics. The additive effect
means that each contributing allele produces one unit of color.

In an example using two parents, heterozygous for each of the melanin-

producing genes (AaBbCc x AaBbCc), it is possible to see how the additive
effects and combinations of alleles results in all the possible genotypes.
In this simplified example, there are 64 possible allele combinations, which
result in the production of 7 different colored skin tones.

The skin tones which are least likely to occur are those resulting from
entirely homozygous genotypes. The lightest skin tone, 0 (aabbcc), which
lacks any alleles contributing melanin pigment, or the darkest skin tone, 6
(AABBCC), which contains all possible contributing alleles; each of these
phenotypes occurs at a probability of 1/64.

As the number of contributing alleles changes within the allele

combinations, the units of melanin pigment increases and decreases; the
probability of the second lightest or darkest skin tones (1 or 5) is 6/64, the
third lightest or darkest skin tones (2 or 4), is 15/64 and an entirely
intermediate skin tone (3) is the most common at 20/64. As shown in the
histogram above, this pattern fits the normal distribution.

(2)Human Height: Human height is an extremely complex inheritance

pattern as there are over 400 genes controlling for it, it is therefore
extremely difficult to predict the height that an offspring will be; two short
parents may produce a tall child, whereas two tall parents can produce a
short child and parents with completely different heights may produce a
tall, short or intermediary child.

In addition, height is known as a multifactorial trait, which means that the

trait is influenced by multiple genes as well as being affected by the
environment. For example factors relating to general health of a growing
child such as access to food and exposure to disease, could significantly
affect the final height of a person. A large majority of our traits are
multifactorial so it is often difficult to assess the effect that single genes
have on a resulting phenotype

Related Biology Terms

 Mendelian Genetics – The set of theories proposed by Gregor

Mendel, which attempt to explain the inheritance patterns of
genetic characteristics based on simple breeding experiments
involving single genes on chromosome pairs.
 Genotype – The genetic makeup of an individual organism.
 Phenotype – The physical and biological
characteristics expressed in an individual as determined by their
genotype.
 Epistasis – The interactions between separate genes, in which
one masks the effect of another.
What is Monogenic Inheritance
Monogenic inheritance is the determination of a character by a single gene. Here, the
two alleles of a single locus determine the trait. However, it is a form of mendelian
inheritance in which the independent segregation of alleles allows the determination of
the trait. During gamete formation, each of the two alleles segregates into separate
garments according to the first law of Mendelian inheritance. According to the law of
independent assortment, the second law of Mendelian inheritance, these alleles assort
independently to produce the F1 generation. Finally, according to the law of dominance,
the third law of Mendelian inheritance, dominant alleles and recessive alleles co-work to
determine the trait. Usually, sickle cell anemia, Huntington’s disease, and cystic fibrosis
are monogenic traits.

Furthermore, there are two stages of

alleles to express the monogenic trait.
Some monogenic traits are autosomal
dominant such as Huntington’s disease
while others are autosomal recessive
traits. In the dominant traits, the trait is
expressed in the presence of the
dominant alleles while in the recessive
traits, the trait is expressed when both
alleles are recessive. For instance, sickle
cell anemia and cystic fibrosis are
recessive traits.

Fig. Cystic Fibrosis Inheritance

 The main difference between monogenic and polygenic inheritance is that

in monogenic inheritance, a single gene determines a single trait whereas, in
polygenic inheritance, two or more genes are involved in the determination of a
particular trait.

Monogenic and polygenic inheritance are two types of inheritance by which offspring
get genetic information from their parents. According to Mendelian genetics, each
gene has two alleles that determine the character, and these alleles segregate
independently during gamete formation to produce a distinct character.