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Genetics & Biotechnology vocabulary · Inheritance and Population Genetics

Carrier

Meaning in genetics & biotechnology, with examples

/ˈkæriər/nounCore term

In genetics & biotechnology, carrier means: A person who has one copy of a recessive disease-causing variant, usually without symptoms, and who can pass the variant on to their children.

In Turkish: taşıyıcı

How it is used

Used in genetic counseling, carrier screening and family studies. People are 'carriers of' a condition or a variant. Couples who are both carriers of the same recessive condition are referred for genetic counseling. Women can be carriers of X-linked conditions such as hemophilia.

Example sentences

  1. Both partners are carriers of beta thalassemia, so they were referred to a genetic counselor.

  2. Expanded carrier screening now covers hundreds of recessive conditions.

Common collocations

  • carrier screening
  • carrier status
  • healthy carrier
  • carrier of a variant
  • carrier frequency
  • recessiveDescribes an allele whose effect only appears when a person has two copies of it, one from each parent.
  • heterozygousHaving two different alleles of a particular gene, one inherited from each parent.
  • genetic counselingA service in which a trained professional helps people understand a genetic condition, the chance that it affects them or their family, and their testing options.
  • genetic testingMedical or research tests that examine a person's DNA, chromosomes or genes to find variants linked to a disease, a health risk or ancestry.
  • pedigreeA chart that shows the members of a family across several generations and which of them have a particular trait or condition.

This word in other fields

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

More terms: Inheritance and Population Genetics

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