Gene

How it is used

Used in genetics, molecular biology and medicine. Genes are expressed, switched on or off, mutated, cloned or knocked out. Gene names are usually written in italics, while the protein a gene encodes is not.

Example sentences

1. This gene is expressed only in the roots of the plant.

2. Mutations in a single gene can cause cystic fibrosis.

Common collocations

• gene expression
• gene mutation
• target gene
• gene function
• knock out a gene

Related terms

• DNAShort for deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that stores genetic information in every cell and in many viruses. It is made of two strands twisted into a double helix.
• alleleOne of the different versions of the same gene. For example, a gene for flower color may have one allele for purple flowers and another for white.
• chromosomeA long, tightly packed structure of DNA and proteins that carries many genes. Human body cells normally have 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs.
• gene expressionThe process by which the information in a gene is used to make a product, usually a protein. It includes transcription of DNA into RNA and translation of RNA into protein.
• genomeThe complete set of genetic material in an organism or cell, including all of its genes and the DNA between them.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• gene · Genetics & Biotechnology

More terms: Genetics and Heredity

• trait
• mutation
• meiosis
• genotype
• phenotype
• dominant
• recessive
• inherit
• RNA
• nucleotide
• transcription
• translation