Heritability of fingerprints

Hi Marijn

Hi Martijn

I have reposted this as it is slightly different in context to the other post.

I was wondering about the heritability of fingerprints as I have noted consistencies across generations- I noted particularly that you stated the tented arch which is less common in a case close to home was present in my husband on both index fingers and also on both my two daughters hands- one having 3 classic tented arches... as this is supposed to be less common and I don't have them, where is the basis of this seeming genetic heritability factor? I do have two arches... also elongated whorls- quite dramatic in hands which I have read- were present in mother and daughter/ son... even more surprisingly in the mother's new partner! What is your view on elongated whorls as opposed to more common whorls? This applies too to very upright loops.
Would love input in this area

Felicity

Thanks Martijn

The Whorl is circular and elongated-

The area that I was interested in was based on your excellent chart in Hand and the sexes where the frequency of occurance for tented arches is about 1% which would lead me to believe it was a recessive trait, and my consequent surprise that it was passed on to both daughters from my husband- which would suggest co-dominance- I had wondered then whether, as they also had inherited blond hair and blue eyes, whether there may be a link to a specific gene which governs those, also normally less dominant traits- I have brown eyes/brown hair.

Felicity

I must admit I don't like Galton's classification system as much as Purkinjie's, where he classifies whorls into three distinct types
Felicity

Hi felicity

I guess more than fingerprints being heridetary i would say palmar prints (Interdigital loops) tend to be more genetic oriented. I would not say fingerprints are genetic totally. There are variation where i have seen inconsitencies and consistencies within family. So it cannot be said it is totally inherited. Also sometimes the elongated whorl at centre would give an S type appearance.

Anand

Felicity Martin wrote:Thanks Martijn

The Whorl is circular and elongated-

The area that I was interested in was based on your excellent chart in Hand and the sexes where the frequency of occurance for tented arches is about 1% which would lead me to believe it was a recessive trait, and my consequent surprise that it was passed on to both daughters from my husband- which would suggest co-dominance- I had wondered then whether, as they also had inherited blond hair and blue eyes, whether there may be a link to a specific gene which governs those, also normally less dominant traits- I have brown eyes/brown hair.

Felicity

Hi Felicity,

Thanks for explaining your thoughts. In general, fingerprints appear to be belong to the category dominant traits. Various studies have pointed this out, however there are reports describing that exceptions are possible, for example this study reports:

"A radial loop on the index finger has been reported to be a sex-linked recessive trait7 although radial loops are normally only slightly less frequent in females than in males"

http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM196406112702402


There is no likewise info available for a tented arch. And I have the impression that it doesn't take to have the feature present in both the mother and father, in order to become manifest in the child.

(Though, I should add here that I never really tried to study patterns of inheritance. But I would recommend to study this with a considerable number of cases - and not just by looking at the patterns inside your family)

Anyway, thanks for asking!

Hi Martijn,
Yes, I had already for some time started collecting scans of people's hands and asking them to give me the inkprints they do or allow me to scan prints of their children. I am hoping to do a study or report for psychology Honors/ Masters in Psychology in this in a few years.

Lucky to have several medical academics in my hand workshop network including one of the world's leading authorities on treatement and recovery, post trauma/surgury for hand and arms- occupational therapist who sees hundreds of hands and she is now very interested in this area. As she regularlly travels overseas giving workshops I have recommended her following up on the German University courses in dermatoglyphs.

Thanks for the further insights on heritability, I had read a few papers but having done genetics at Uni several decades ago- way back in time of Mendalian counting of wing aberrations in fruit fly! that ages me! was a bit bemused over the tented arch/ arches and how things may or may not have evoled from the evolutionary perspective. I was very interested too in the nationality aspects including observations as to the more hyperflexible nature of some hands in some nations and possible observed correspondences in collectivist v indiviudalistic societies.

The more flexible the hand the more happy they are thinking collectively- working together.

I also have been quite surprised at the rareity of radial loops/tented arches/arches- I have a few, as do my children especially as they originally have been the basis for most hands then through advantageous mutations been superceded, maybe with loops reflecting increased flexibility and adaptability.
After studying the very interesting Lifeprints some time ago I am wondering whether the School of Peace- and their fear is because they, a bit like the earth or primal element they may represent, are psychologically more aware of their mortaility.

Felicity