About 80% of the human population can taste the chemical phenolthiocarbamide (PTC), while the other 20% can’t. This characteristic is governed by a single gene with two alleles, a tasting allele and a non-tasting allele. What does this statistic tell us about which allele (tasting or non-tasting) is dominant?
Answers
Answer:
Tasting allele is dominant.
Explanation:
The allele which is seen in most of the population is the dominant one.
Geneticists discovered that there is a hereditary component that determines how we taste PTC soon after it was discovered. We now know that the ability to taste PTC (or not) is controlled by a single gene that codes for a tongue taste receptor. TAS2R38, the PTC gene, was identified in 2003.
The PTC gene has two common variants (or alleles) and at least five uncommon versions. A taste allele and a non-tasting allele are the two most prevalent types. Each allele codes for a slightly different-shaped bitter taste receptor protein. The strength with which a receptor protein may bind to PTC is determined by its structure. Because everyone has two copies of each gene, combinations of the genes are possible. Because everyone has two copies of every gene, the bitter taste gene variations determine whether someone feels PTC to be extremely bitter, mildly bitter, or tasteless.
Although PTC does not occur naturally, the capacity to taste it is strongly linked to the ability to taste other bitter compounds that do, many of which are poisons.
To protect themselves from being eaten, plants produce a variety of harmful chemicals. The capacity to distinguish between bitter and sweet tastes originated as a defence mechanism to keep early people from consuming dangerous plants. Bitter taste receptors are encoded by roughly 30 genes in humans. People may taste a wide range of bitter substances because each receptor can interact with multiple molecules.
By this we can tell that tasting alleles are more dominant.
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