| genetic fingerprinting | The process of comparing the nucleotide sequences of different DNA samples to find out if the samples are from the same individual or not. This is often used as a way to investigate crime, for example by comparing samples found at the crime scene with samples from the suspects. (09 Oct 1997) |
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| genetic fitness | In a phenotype, the mean number of surviving offspring that it generates in its lifetime, usually expressed as a fraction or percentage of the average genetic fitness of the population. (05 Mar 2000) |
| genetic fixation | The increase of the frequency of a gene by genetic drift until no other allele is preserved in a specific finite population. (05 Mar 2000) |
| genetic heterogeneity | The presence of apparently similar characters for which the genetic evidence indicates that different genes or different genetic mechanisms are involved in different pedigrees. In clinical settings genetic heterogeneity refers to the presence of a variety of genetic defects which cause the same disease, often due to mutations at different loci on the same gene, a finding common to many human diseases including alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, lipoprotein lipase and polycystic kidney disease. (12 Dec 1998) |
| genetic homeostasis | The tendency of a population to reach a point of genetic equilibrium and resist changes. Origin: Gr. Stasis = stoppage (09 Oct 1997) |
| genetic human male | An individual with a karyotype containing a Y chromosome, an individual whose cell nuclei do not contain Barr sex chromatin bodies, which are normally present in females. Patients with ambiguous sexual development and those with Turner's syndrome are classed as genetic male's or genetic females according to the absence or presence of Barr bodies even though their sex chromosome complement may suggest otherwise. (05 Mar 2000) |
| genetic identity | The relatedness of two populations as represented by the percentage of the genes they share. (09 Oct 1997) |
| genetic induction | The triggering of a specific gene by an inducer molecule (which acts directly or indirectly by affecting an RNA polymerase molecule). (09 Oct 1997) |
| genetic information | The heritable biological information coded in the nucleotide sequences of DNA or RNA (certain viruses), such as in the chromosomes or in plasmids. (09 Oct 1997) |
| genetic isolate | To separate from other persons, materials or objects. (18 Nov 1997) |
| genetic lethal | A disorder that prevents effective reproduction by those affected; e.g., Klinefelter syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| genetic linkage | <genetics> The term refers to the fact that certain genes tend to be inherited together, because they are on the same chromosome. Thus parental combinations of characters are found more frequently in offspring than nonparental. Linkage is measured by the percentage recombination between loci, unlinked genes showing 50% recombination. See: linkage equilibrium, linkage disequilibrium. (18 Nov 1997) |
| genetic load | <genetics> In general terms the decrease in fitness of a population (as a result of selection acting on phenotypes) due to deleterious mutations in the population gene pool. More specifically, the average number of recessive lethal mutations, in the heterozygous state, estimated to be present in the genome of an individual in a population. (18 Nov 1997) |
| genetic locus | <genetics> The position of a gene in a linkage map or on a chromosome. (18 Nov 1997) |
| genetic map | <genetics> A map of the relative positions of genetic loci on a chromosome, determined onthe basis of how often the loci are inherited together. Distance ismeasured in centimorgans (cM). (09 Oct 1997) |