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What are the multiple alleles? Give examples.

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Last updated date: 16th May 2024
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Answer
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Hint: The condition in which three or more alternative forms of alleles present for a single gene on the same chromosome is known as Multiple Allelism and the alleles are known as multiple alleles.

Complete step by step answer:
Alleles are alternative sorts of a gene, and that they are liable for differences in the phenotypic expression of a given trait (e.g., brown eyes versus green eyes). A gene for which a minimum of two alleles exists is claimed to be polymorphic. Instances during which a specific gene may exist in three or more allelic forms are referred to as multiple allele conditions. it's important to notice that while multiple alleles occur and are maintained within a population, a person possesses only two such alleles. The common examples of multiple alleles are ABO blood groups of humans, coat color in cats, etc.
Hair patterns in Cat: In domestic cats, breeding has taken place for thousands of years selecting for various and varied coat colors. Cats are often seen with long hair, short hair, and no hair. There are genes present that code for whether a cat will have hair or not and if present of what length. There are multiple alleles for this gene, some that produce hairless cats, and a few that produce cats with hair. Another gene regulates the length of the hair. It was discovered that the long-haired cats have two recessive alleles, while a dominant allele will produce short hair.
ABO blood group in Humans-The ABO blood group system in humans is controlled by three alleles, usually mentioned as IA, IB, and IO (the "I" stands for isohemagglutinin). IA and IB are codominant and produce A and type B antigens, respectively, which migrate to the surface of red blood cells, while IO is the recessive allele and produces no antigen. The blood groups arising from the various possible genotypes are summarized within the following table.
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Note: Many students get confused between multiple alleles and polygenic inheritance. In polygenic inheritance, many genes control the one particular trait and it is found on multiple strands of DNA whereas multiple alleles are found in single strands of DNA.