What's clear different between pleiotropy and epistasis??

[vDDmaniaC]

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I kept reading the definition of two terms but it is still ambiguous to me.
pleiotrophy is like PKU which one recessive allele affects other phenotype characteristic? like hair, IQ, and so on. What about epitasis.... the destroyer says epistasis gene is one that covers up the expression of another gene in the phenotype. What the hell is this supposed to mean?
Isn't it "covers up", too that PKU recessive gene covers, for example, hair gene in the above?

How do we distinguish between those too?

Thanks!

 

[futuredent22]

I highly recommended wikipedia in instances like this, but I'll give you by short explanation of epistasis.

I think of epistasis as one gene controlling one other gene. For example, your hair color gene is black, brown, or blond, etc. However, that gene will be overshadowed if you have the gene for albinism.

 

[unikko87]

epistasis is usually when one gene masks the effect of another gene.
Pleiotropy is when one gene has many phenotypic effects.

 

[doc3232]

Good question
Epistasis occurs when one gene affects the phenotypic expression of a second gene: One gene turns on/off production of a pigment while another pigment controls the amount or color of the pigment.
Pleiotropy occurs when one gene has more than 1 phenotypic expression. The gene that controls round or wrinkled texture also influences water absorption of a pea plant.
Definition and example 🙂

 

[flampard]

in epistasis one gene effects the phenotypic expression of a different gene in a different locus. it may in fact modify it and the phenotype will be somewhere intermediate or totally different, in pleiotropy on gene will cause expression of several different phenotypes by that gene, eg. sickle cell disease where the individuals have several symptoms!

 

[orthodocs12]

these definitions are very helpful. thanks!😎