Grandparental influences in the expression of dermatoglyphics patterns on the fingertips

The study of the occurrence of like patterns in grandparents and grandchildren allows for eight different sequences of gametic involvement in the contribution to a specific phenotype. Correlation between paternal and maternal grandparents and their grandchildren of both sexes for the occurrence of the major dermatoglyphics patterns on specific fingertips have been calculated. Such correlations reflect the amount of hereditary likeness between classes of relatives and may provide clues to the number of loci involved and to degree of dominance that may exist for the specification of some patterns over other. Using a synthetic index of pattern correlation, it was shown that paternal influence through two generations was least for the specification of whorls in males, and greatest for specification radial loops. In grandchildren of maternal grandmothers the influence on radial loops was least and greatest for specification of whorls, implying differential roles for chromosomal, oocytoplasmic and uterine environmental factors in patterns. A comparison of the pattern correlation indexes of the various grandparent-grandchild pairs might indicate whether this presumed difference in developmental influence is detectable.