Gene deletion
Gene deletion: The total loss or absence of a gene. Gene deletion plays a role in birth defects and in the development of cancer.
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- Gene duplication
Gene duplication: An extra copy of a gene. Gene duplication is a key mechanism in evolution. After a gene is duplicated, the once-identical genes can undergo changes and diverge to create two different genes.
- Gene expression
Gene expression: The translation of information encoded in a gene into protein or RNA structures that are present and operating in the cell. Expressed genes include genes that are transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA) and then translated into protein, as well as genes that are transcribed into RNA, such as transfer and ribosomal RNAs, but […]
- Gene family
Gene family: A group of genes that are related in structure and often in function. The genes in a gene family are descended from an ancestral gene. For example, the hemoglobin genes belong to one gene family that was created by gene duplication and divergence.
- Gene mapping
Gene mapping: The charting of the positions of genes on a DNA molecule or chromosome and the distance, in linkage units or physical units, between genes.
- Gene markers
Gene markers: Detectable genetic traits or distinctive segments of DNA that serve as landmarks for a target gene. Markers are on the same chromosome as the target gene. They must be near enough to the target gene to be genetically linked to it: to be inherited usually together with that gene, and so serve as […]