Humans have two sets of chromosomes. The terms homozygous and heterozygous have been used to refer to pairs of alleles. Individuals who carry the same two alleles (RR or rr) are known as homozygotes. while individual organisms carrying different alleles (Rr) are known as heterozygotes.
For example, suppose the gene for hair color has two alleles, one for the allele coding for brown (R) and the other for black (r).
Homozygotes will have the same characteristic alleles for identical pairs ie. ‘RR’ or ‘rr’, heterozygotes will have different alleles on chromosome pairs i.e.. Rr
What is Homozygous?
People have the same genes. However, several genes vary, thus influencing our physical health and symptoms. Each variation is called an allele, and everyone inherits two alleles for each gene – one from the biological father and one from the biological mother.
The term “homozygote” is a combination of two words: human meaning “same”, and zygote, meaning “having a specific type of zygote”.
If the alleles of the gene are identical, the individual is homozygous for that particular gene. For example, you may have two identical or similar alleles for a particular gene that causes hazel eyes.
What is Heterozygous?
We know that each gene inherits two alleles and the only difference is the version of the alleles. The term “heterozygous” is a combination of two words – heterozygote meaning “different” and zygote meaning “being a zygote of a particular type” This means that two different alleles are present on identical chromosomes.
An individual with a heterozygous genotype will have two versions of the alleles (Rr). For example, in hair color, individuals may have one allele for brown hair and one allele for red hair.
The interaction between the two alleles affects the characteristics expressed by the individual which in turn determines the characteristics of the carrier.
Difference between Homozygous and Heterozygous
