Question

Is albinism an example of pleiotropy?

Answer 1

Pleiotropy

1. Pleiotropy is a phenomenon in which a single locus influences two or more seemingly unrelated phenotypic features, and is frequently discovered as a single mutation affecting two or more wild-type phenotypes.
2. Yes, albinism is an example of pleiotropy.
3. Albinism is an uncommon hereditary condition characterized by a lack of color in the hair, skin, and eyes.
4. It is caused by a mutation in a single gene, the tyrosinase gene, and has a variety of phenotypic consequences relating to melanin formation.