Posted by:
rwoodyer
at Thu Sep 21 13:18:59 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by rwoodyer ]
I believe the classical examples of codominance are haploinsuficiency examples as well due to a null mutation...
As with most science, there are almost no cases that actually fit with the classical examples...
I think most or many of the ball mutations thus far discovered alter things at the developmental stage. The mutations may not be in or around the genes affected at all, but rather in temporally expressed trans acting gene (such as a sigma factor, activator, repressor, etc...)
Super Cinnamons for example are patternless even before all of their pigment fills in. They also have slightly altered physical structure, which might be a function of more than a single gene. So, it seems possible that the cinnamon gene alters developement early on and broadly affects embryo development. Think about a mutant transcription factor that changes the production and ratio of multiple other genes...
However, the thing that is most interesting about balls scientifically is that there are very few systems that have been studied so well morphologically and yet almost nothing is known about the physiology. If only there was research money for this field...If there was a health angle to ball pythons, maybe the NIH would fund a study...
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when life hands you lemons, make super lemons, bumblebees, etc...
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RE: mind-bender genetics question... - rwoodyer, Thu Sep 21 13:18:59 2006