homozygosity
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The genetic state of possessing two identical alleles for a particular gene: Homozygosity describes the condition in a diploid organism where the two alleles at a specific gene locus are the same. This state determines the expression of a trait and is a fundamental concept in Mendelian genetics.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The homozygosity of the plant for the red flower allele ensured all offspring would be red.
- Geneticists studied the population to determine the level of homozygosity for the recessive disorder.
- Increased homozygosity in a small population can lead to a loss of genetic diversity.
Advanced Usage
"Complete homozygosity": Refers to an organism or genome where all gene loci possess identical alleles.
- Through generations of self-fertilization, the strain achieved near-complete homozygosity.
"Homozygosity mapping": A genetic technique used to locate disease-causing recessive alleles by identifying genomic regions where an affected individual has homozygous segments.
- Homozygosity mapping was crucial in identifying the gene responsible for the rare condition.
Variants and Related Words
Homozygote (n): An individual organism that possesses two identical alleles for a specific gene.
- A homozygote for the dominant allele will express the dominant phenotype.
Homozygous (adj): The adjective form describing the state of having identical alleles.
- The homozygous genotype results in a purebred trait.
Heterozygosity (n): The contrasting state of possessing two different alleles for a particular gene.
Synonyms
- Genetic uniformity (at a specific locus): This phrase can describe the concept in a more general biological context, though it is less precise.
Antonyms
- Heterozygosity: The state of having two different alleles for a particular gene.
Noun
- the state of being homozygous; having two identical alleles of the same gene