Pleiotropic action of genes: facts, mistakes and prospects of evaluation

The present-day genetics is represented by many research areas, and many areas of genetics have separated into independent fields such as cytogenetics, immunogenetics, plant genetics, animal genetics, human genetics, medical genetics, etc. The scientific methods used in genetics are constantly being improved, but a number of scientific problems that are being solved in genetics still remain unresolved. It is equally important for both crop science and a number of other areas to have individual fundamental problems solved. One of the issues is the issue of determining the pleiotropic action of genes and understanding its essence in the aspects of evolution and speciation. The research reviews modern scientific data on the pleiotropic action of genes, presents individual cases of pleiotropy in peas, wheat, mushrooms, animals, humans, etc. The study is based on the generalization of data, opinions and the identification of a variety of classifications of the pleiotropic action of genes; the paper cites cases of simple, true, indirect, antagonistic and multifactorial pleiotropy. Pleiotropy has been noted to be a side effect of evolution, but pleiotropy is extremely important for the selection process if it is used in a competent and purposeful manner. The process of manifestation of pleiotropy increases mutations in both plants and animals. The author of the research provides his own classification of the diversity of pleiotropy, identifies factors that can hamper the effectiveness of detecting the pleiotropic action of genes and outlines the prospects for further fundamental and applied research on the pleiotropic action of genes. The author of the article emphasizes the fact that multifactorial (multiplicative) pleiotropy is a natural manifestation of the organization and functioning of the genome.