In Drosophila, gene for white eye mutation is also responsible for depigmentation of body parts. Thus, a gene that controls several phenotypes is called as
A
Oncogene
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B
Epistatic gene
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C
Hypostatic gene
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D
Pleiotropic gene
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E
Sex linked gene
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Solution
The correct option is D Pleiotropic gene A pleiotropic gene is a gene that causes a number of distinct but seemingly unrelated phenotypic effects. It is also known as polyphenic gene. For instance: In Drosophila, gene for white eye mutation is also responsible for depigmentation of body parts. Another example is phenyl ketonuria in humans. It can cause mental retardation and reduced hair and skin pigmentation and can be caused by any of a large number of mutations in a single gene that codes for the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase, which converts the amino acid phenylalanine to tyrosine, another amino acid.