The genotype–phenotype distinction: from Mendelian genetics to 21st century biology

Autor: Gaëlle Pontarotti, Matteo Mossio, Arnaud Pocheville
Přispěvatelé: Institut d'Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques (IHPST), Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), ANR-19-CE26-0018,ENVIROBIOSOC,L'environnment et la santé humaine à travers les sciences de la vie et les sciences sociales(2019)
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Genetica
Genetica, 2022, 150 (3-4), pp.223-234. ⟨10.1007/s10709-022-00159-5⟩
ISSN: 1573-6857
0016-6707
DOI: 10.1007/s10709-022-00159-5
Popis: International audience; The Genotype-Phenotype (G-P) distinction was proposed in the context of Mendelian genetics, in the wake of late 19th century studies about heredity. In this paper, we provide a conceptual analysis that highlights that the G-P distinction was grounded on three pillars: observability, transmissibility, and causality. Originally, the genotype is the non-observable and transmissible cause of the phenotype, which is its observable and non-transmissible effect. We argue that the current developments of biology have called the validity of such pillars into question. First, molecular biology has unveiled the putative material substrate of the genotype (qua DNA), making it an observable object. Second, numerous findings on nongenetic heredity suggest that some phenotypic traits can be directly transmitted. Third, recent organicist approaches to biological phenomena have emphasized the reciprocal causality between parts of a biological system, which notably applies to the relations between genotypes and phenotypes. As a consequence, we submit that the G-P distinction has lost its general validity, although it can still apply to specific situations. This calls for forging new frameworks and concepts to better describe heredity and development.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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