One of the first medical tests a newborn receives determines if the child has phenylketonuria (PKU). PKU is the result of a mutation in a single gene that causes mental retardation and a host of other phenotypes (light hair and skin color, eczema, and a "mousy" smell). By detecting PKU early, doctors are able to reduce the effect of this condition with a modified diet. PKU is an example of

a. epistasis
b. pleiotropy
c. polygenic trait
d. codominance
e. incomplete dominance


Answer: b. pleiotropy

Biology & Microbiology

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