Epistasis vs. Pleiotropy

Epistasisnoun

(genetics) The modification of the expression of a gene by another unrelated one.

Epistasisnoun

the suppression of a gene by the effect of an unrelated gene

Epistasis

Epistasis is a phenomenon in genetics in which the effect of a gene mutation is dependent on the presence or absence of mutations in one or more other genes, respectively termed modifier genes. In other words, the effect of the mutation is dependent on the genetic background in which it appears.

Pleiotropynoun

(genetics) The influence of a single gene on multiple phenotypic traits; pleiotropism.

Pleiotropynoun

(pharmacology) The existence of drug effects other than the one for which the drug was designed; usually implies additional beneficial effects.

Pleiotropy

Pleiotropy (from Greek πλείων pleion, , and τρόπος tropos, ) occurs when one gene influences two or more seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits. Such a gene that exhibits multiple phenotypic expression is called a pleiotropic gene.