What Does phenotype Mean
In order to know the meaning of the term phenotype, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can state that it is a word that derives from Greek, since it is the result of the sum of two of that language:
-The verb “phainein”, which can be translated as “show” or “appear”.
-The noun “typos”, which is equivalent to “brand” or “footprint”.
The variable expression of a genotype in a certain environment is called phenotype .
As can be seen, it is essential to define the genotype before advancing with the concept of phenotype. The genotype is made up of all the genes of an individual according to their allelic composition (that is, according to the different forms that a gene can take when it is located in the same place on the homologous chromosomes).
The phenotype supposes the manifestation of this genotype depending on the environment . The traits expressed by the phenotype are behavioral and physical and even go beyond the visible, since there are phenotypic characteristics that cannot be seen.
The observable traits of an individual, in short, are part of their phenotype. These are manifestations of hereditary content that have undergone certain changes due to the influence of the environment .
It can be said that the phenotype derives from the interaction between the genotype and the environment . Another way of understanding the notion involves thinking of the phenotype as the material manifestation of the genotype in a given environment .
It is important to be clear, of course, that the phenotype, although it is made up of the genetic traits of an individual, can change throughout their life. Thus, for example, a person may have a white skin color because it was determined that way, however, that will change if, for example, they live in countries where there is a lot of sun, they drink a lot of this or eat foods that alter the color of your skin.
The link between genotype and phenotype is complex because it is traversed by the interactions that genes develop and the relationships that alleles establish within the same gene. For this reason, the phenotype is not only determined by the state or the characteristics of the genes: the sequence of environments that the genotype runs through while developing also affects.
In the same way, we cannot ignore the existence of another term that uses the word at hand. We are referring to the Bombay phenotype, which is used to refer to a class of blood that has the peculiarity that it is very rare. Why? Basically because it does not have antigens of membrane A or membrane B in what are called erythrocytes.
Regarding the aforementioned blood phenotype that we are addressing, it can also be indicated that the gene that regulates it is found in what is chromosome number 19.