Is having a reaction to Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac, a dominant or recessive allele?
My friend, Poison Ivy, Oak, etc. (there are many Toxicodendrons) produce an irritant (called urushiol, an alkylcatechol). Reaction to it is absolutely NOT genetic any more than feeling pain is inheritable. Having a hystamine and/or anaphylactic reaction is expected from everyone. It is neither dominant nor recessive. Redox cycling in the skin, following penetration of the allergenic alkybenzenes (the poisons), initially depletes local levels of endogenous-reducing equivalents such as NADH and glutathione. The result is swelling and itching. Allergies could possibly hold some inheritence issues, but statistics are sketchy at best on that subject (a result you will find more often than not in the genetics world). I hope this helps more than it confuses!
