Genetics Glossary
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This is a glossary of terms commonly used in the study of genetics and genetic genealogy.
| Contents | Top · 0–9 · A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
A
- Adenine: One of the four nucleotide bases in DNA or RNA; pairs with thymine in DNA or uracil in RNA.
- Allele: one of multiple alternative forms of a single gene, each of which is a viable DNA sequence occupying a given position, or locus on a chromosome. For example, in humans, one allele of the eye-color gene produces blue eyes and another allele of the eye-color gene produces brown eyes.
- Affected relative pair: An affected relative pair consists of two organisms related genetically that are both affected by the same trait. For example, two cousins who both have blue eyes are an affected relative pair since they are both affected by the allele coding for blue eyes.
- Ancestral haplotype
- Ancestry-informative markers
- Ancient DNA
- Archaeogenetics
- Autosomal DNA
B
- Base pair: A pair of nucleotide bases on complementary DNA or RNA strands organized in a double helix.
- BGA: BioGeographical Analysis - the estimation of one's biological, ethnic and/or geographical origins based on DNA analysis
C
- CCR5, a gene located on chromosome 3.
- Centimorgan
- Centromere
- Chromosome: a molecular "package" for carrying DNA in cells, organized as two double-helical DNA molecules that encode many genes. Some simple organisms have only one chromosome made of circular DNA, while most eukaryotes have multiple chromosomes made of linear DNA.
- Cytosine: One of the four nucleotide bases in DNA or RNA; pairs with guanine.
D
- D9S919, an STR marker on chromosome 9.
- Deletion
- DNA: A polymeric molecule made of deoxyribonucleotides, hence the name deoxyribonucleic acid. Most often has the form of a "double helix", which consists of two paired DNA molecules and resembles a ladder that has been twisted. The "rungs" of the ladder are made of base pairs, or nucleotides with complementary hydrogen bonding patterns.
- DYS
E
F
- Founder effect
- FGS: Full Genomic Sequence (initially this acronym was used in the context of a Full mtDNA Genomic Sequence)
- FMS: Full Mitochondrial Sequence
G
- Gene: A set of segments of nucleic acid that contains the information necessary to produce a functional RNA product in a controlled manner. In living organisms, it is a unit of heredity and typically encoded in DNA. A particular gene can have multiple different forms, or alleles, which are defined by different sequences of DNA.
- Gene expression: The process in which the information encoded in a gene is converted into a form useful for the cell. The first step is transcription, which produces a messenger RNA molecule complementary to the DNA molecule on which a gene is encoded. For protein-coding genes, the second step is translation, in which the messenger RNA is read by the ribosome to produce a protein.
- Gene pool: the sum of all the alleles shared by members of a single population.
- Genetics: the field of biology that studies genes and their inheritance.
- Genotype: The complement of alleles present in a particular individual's genome that give rise to the individual's phenotype.
- Genome: The entire complement of genetic material in the chromosome set of an organism, virus or organelle.
- Guanine: One of the four nucleotide bases in DNA or RNA; pairs with cytosine.
H
- Haplogroup
- Haplotype
- Heteroplasmy
- Heterozygous
- Holliday junction - is a mobile junction between four strands of DNA. [1]
- Homozygous
I
- Identical By Descent segment
- Insertion
- ISOGG: The International Society of Genetic Genealogy
L
M
- Meiosis
- Micro-allele
- Mitochondrial DNA
- Mitochondrial Eve
- Mitosis
- Modal haplotype
- Most recent common ancestor (MRCA)
- Mutation: is a change in the base pair sequence of DNA or RNA.
N
- Nucleotide: one of the four monomers that make up a DNA molecule.
- Non-paternity event: (NPE) is a term in genetic genealogy and clinical genetics to describe the case where the biological father of a child is someone other than who it is presumed to be.
- Null value
P
- Pedigree collapse
- Phasing: The task or process of determining the parental source of a SNP's alleles (i.e., determining which parent contributed each specific allele)
- Phenotype: The observable physical or behavioral traits of an organism, largely determined by the organism's genotype.
- Protein: A linear polymeric molecule made of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Proteins carry out the majority of chemical reactions that occur inside the cell.
- Pseudogene: A gene which has lost its function over time.
R
S
T
- Thymine: One of the four nucleotide bases in DNA; pairs with adenine. In RNA, thymine is replaced with uracil.
- Transcription: The first step in gene expression, in which a messenger RNA molecule complementary to a particular gene encoded in DNA is synthesized by enzymes called RNA polymerases. To produce a functional protein, transcription is followed by translation.
- Translation: The second step in gene expression, in which a messenger RNA molecule is read by the ribosome to produce a functional protein. Translation is always preceded by transcription.
- Triangulation
U
- Unique-event polymorphism
- Uracil: One of the four nucleotide bases in RNA; pairs with adenine. In DNA, uracil is replaced with thymine.
W
X
Y
External links
