pleiotropy

noun

plei·​ot·​ro·​py plī-ˈä-trə-pē 

genetics

: the phenomenon of a single gene influencing two or more distinct phenotypic traits : the quality or state of being pleiotropic

In genetics, there's a concept called pleiotropy, which posits that a single gene can influence multiple traits. [Steven] Tanksley suggests there's substantial evidence that at least some domesticated fruits selected for greater size were also altered in shape because both traits were controlled by the same selected gene or set of genes.

—Scott LeFee

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

There is no doubt that even simple genetic abnormalities may cause many phenotypic consequences; this is called pleiotropy. —Jessica Riskin, The New York Review of Books, 21 Apr. 2022

Combine pleiotropy, the effect of one gene on multiple traits, with polygeny and epistasis, and the tangle of abstraction gets intractable very quickly. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2011

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

pleiotropy

noun

plei·​ot·​ro·​py plī-ˈä-trə-pē 

plural pleiotropies

: the quality or state of being pleiotropic