In a heterozygote individual, where one possesses both a dominant allele and a recessive allele for a given gene, the interaction between these alleles can be described as follows:
The dominant allele typically expresses its trait, overshadowing the effect of the recessive allele. The common understanding is that the presence of the dominant allele results in the expression of the dominant phenotype, while the recessive allele does not contribute to the phenotype in this scenario.
To address the options you provided:
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They do not interact at all. - This is somewhat misleading; while the dominant allele expresses its trait and effectively "dominates" the phenotype, the recessive allele is still present in the genotype, but it does not manifest in the phenotype.
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The dominant allele prevents transcription of the recessive allele. - This statement is not entirely accurate. The recessive allele can still be transcribed; however, the product (protein or RNA) it codes for may not have a noticeable effect on the phenotype due to the presence of the dominant allele.
In summary, the dominant allele usually expresses its trait, and while the recessive allele coexists, it does not show its effect in a heterozygote individual. The most accurate answer is that the dominant allele expresses itself while the recessive allele remains unexpressed in terms of phenotype.