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Epistasis is the phenomenon wherein the effect of one gene (locus) is dependent on the presence of one or more 'modifier genes', i.e. the genetic background. Originally the term epistasis meant that the phenotypic effect of one gene is masked by a different gene (locus); thus, epistatic mutations have different effects in combination, than individually. Epistasis was originally a concept from genetics, but is now used in biochemistry, computational biology, and in evolutionary biology; it arises due to interactions, either between genes, or within them, leading to non-linear effects. Epistasis has a great influence on the shape of evolutionary landscapes, which leads to profound consequences for evolution and for the evolvability of phenotypic traits.

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