Difference Between Dominant Gene and Recessive Gene

Dec 23, 2022 · 4 min read ·

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Main Difference

The main difference between the dominant gene and recessive gene is that the dominant gene is that which masks the expression of the other trait while the recessive gene is that which is hidden by the dominant gene.

Dominant Gene vs. Recessive Gene

A dominant gene is a type of gene which dominates in the inheritance pattern and masks the other one, on the other hand, a recessive gene is that which does not show its trait in inheritance pattern and hidden by the dominant one. A dominant gene is stronger gene while the recessive gene is a week gene. Dominant gene is always expressed in the upper case letters like A, F, V whereas recessive gene is always denoted by the lower case letters like a, f and v. dominant gene show in the inheritance when one of the two genes is dominant but in case of recessive gene both the genes of a trait should be recessive.

Comparison Chart

Dominant Gene	Recessive Gene
Dominant gene ultimately determine the expression of a trait	Receive gene are those who are less likely to be expressed
Documented
A dominant gene is written in upper case letter	A recessive gene is written in lower case letter
Gene Type
A dominant gene is a strong gene	A recessive gene is a week gene
Status
It always shows if present	It only shows if both are present
Examples
Brown eyes trait, blood group A and B	Blue eyes trait, O blood type

What is Dominant Gene?

The terms dominant gene describe the inheritance patterns of certain traits. A dominant allele produces a dominant phenotype in individuals who have one copy of the allele, which can come from just one parent. Dominant alleles are those who show their effect even if the individual has only one copy of the allele also known as heterozygous. For example, the gene for red eyes is dominant. Therefore you just need one copy of the red-eye allele to have red eyes while with two copies you will still have red eyes. If both the alleles are dominant, it is known as codominance. The resulting characteristic is because of both alleles being expressed equally. As the example of this is the blood group AB which is the result of codominance of the A and B dominant alleles.

Examples

Dark hair is dominant over red and blonde hair.
Curly hair is dominant over straight hair.
The ability in an individual is to roll the tongue is dominant over the inability to do that.
Astigmatism is dominant over the common vision.
The presence of webbed fingers is a dominant type trait.
The development of six fingers instead of five is controlled by dominant genes.
Having a widow’s peak, a V-shaped hairline is dominant over having a straight hairline.
Freckles, cleft chin, and dimples are all examples of a dominant trait.
Having almond-shaped eyes is a dominant trait whereas having round eyes is a feature controlled by recessive alleles.

What is Recessive Gene?

A recessive gene is that gene that can be masked by the dominant gene. The terms recessive gene describe the inheritance patterns of certain traits. To produce a recessive phenotype, the individual must have two copies, one from each parent. Recessive alleles show their effect in inheritance if the individual has two copies of the allele also known as homozygous. For example, the gene for blue eyes is recessive, therefore to have blue eyes you need to have two copies of the blue eye allele. Some disorders are autosomal recessive, such as cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs disease, and sickle cell anemia. A recessive gene is always expressed in the lower case letters like a, z and h. A trait with recessive gene comes in the inheritance when both the genes are recessive.

Examples

Having a straight hairline is recessive.
Individuals with recessive alleles for a cleft chin.
Having round (as opposed to almond-shaped) eyes is recessive.
Inability to roll one’s tongue.
Attached earlobes (as opposed to free) is also a recessive trait.
Having blue eyes is recessive to brown eyes.
Having round eyes is a feature controlled by recessive alleles.

Key Differences

The dominant gene produces the dominant phenotype while a recessive gene does not provide a dominant phenotype.

A dominant gene is stronger than a recessive gene as it masks the effect of the recessive gene.

Dominant gene trait is expressed in the upper case letters like H, V and L on the other side recessive gene trait is shown in lower case letters like h, v, and l.

Dominant gene expressed totally in the phenotype whereas the recessive gene is not expressed fully in the phenotype.

Conclusion

Conclusion of this article is that the dominant gene is that which masks the effect of the other gene, on the other hand, receive gene is that whose character is hidden by the other dominant gene.

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