On atavisms and atavistic genes.
The authors propose the term atavistic to designate a gene producing an ancestral phenotype (atavism). Several examples are presented, and the possible origin of atavistic genes, as well as their pathological implications discussed.
D000818:Animals; D005796:Genes; D030342:Genetic Diseases, Inborn / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D006983:Hypertrichosis / Q000235:genetics; D008954:Models, Biological; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D014960:X Chromosome