gene
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From German Gen, coined by Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen from Ancient Greek γενεά (geneá, “generation, descent”) from the aorist infinitive of γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “I come into being”).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
gene (plural genes)
- (genetics) A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms ; a gene may take several values and in principle predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form (phenotype), such as hair color.
- The gene has been defined by the Danish botanist, plant physiologist, and geneticist Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen, in 1909 in the book Arvelighedslærens Elementer (elements of the study of heredity), as the unit of heredity.
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2013 June 21, Karen McVeigh, “US rules human genes can't be patented”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 10:
- The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation.
- (molecular biology) A segment of DNA or RNA from a cell's or an organism's genome, that may take several forms and thus parameterizes a phenomenon, in general the structure of a protein; locus.
- A change in a gene is reflected in the protein or RNA molecule that it codes for.
Usage notesEdit
- In the simplest case and in principle, a gene locus is supposed to be the physical reality corresponding to the theoretical gene unit of heredity; in practice, things are far more complicated and confused, which is well known and acknowledged. However, these questions are the subject of still very active scientific research, as well as the topic of both scientific and philosophical questions, especially on the real compatibility between both senses of the term.
Derived termsEdit
terms derived from "gene"
Related termsEdit
See alsoEdit
TranslationsEdit
unit of heredity
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DanishEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
gene c (singular definite genen, plural indefinite gener)
- Something that bothers; a nuisance.
- Røgen fra skorstenen er til gene for naboerne.
- The smoke from the chimney is bothering the neighbours.
- Røgen fra skorstenen er til gene for naboerne.
DeclensionEdit
Inflection of gene
ReferencesEdit
- “gene” in Den Danske Ordbog
DutchEdit
ItalianEdit
Middle DutchEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old Dutch *gēn, from Proto-Germanic *jainaz.
PronunciationEdit
DeterminerEdit
gêne
DescendantsEdit
- Dutch: geen