Hypostatic gene

A hypostatic gene is one whose phenotype is masked by the expression of an allele at a separate locus, in an epistasis event.

Example: In labrador retrievers, the chocolate coat colour is a result of homozygosity for a gene that is epistatic to the "black vs. yellow" gene. The alleles determining whether the dog is yellow or black, are that of the hypostatic gene in this event.

See also

• Epistasis
• Bombay phenotype

Further reading

Hartwell, Leland; L. Hood; M. Goldberg; A. Reynolds; L. Silver; R. Veres (2004). Genetics: From Genes to Genomes. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. pp. 56–57. ISBN 0-07-246248-5.