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Glite Dictionary
gene mutation

gene mutation

2 4.2
A permanent change in a gene that parents can pass to children
  • noun
  • /dʒin mjuˈteɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mutación genética
  • A gene mutation can lead to inherited diseases, which may be passed down through generations.
  • fas gene mutations

In fact, pregnant women that take high doses of folic acid and have this gene mutation have very high incidences of postpartum depression.

Examples

  • Further studies are required to establish the clinical utility of routine multi-gene mutation testing for patients with MBC.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Is it possible for this contamination to initiate gene mutations that may lead to cancer?

    Blog text (32)

  • No similar gene mutation models were observed between these two groups.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Gene mutation is far more common and more natural than some people may think.

    Academic text (2012)

  • 70% of the cases are new gene mutations, while only 30% are passed from parent to child.

    Blog text (30)

  • "If a woman had this gene mutation, she has an 80 percent chance of getting breast cancer.

    Blog text (19)

  • A gene mutation whose discovery was announced Wednesday triples the risk for Alzheimer's disease.

    Blog text (26)

  • But when you can materially change somebody's life by fixing those gene mutations, that's when you're really making an impact.

  • So sickle cell disease is a single gene mutation of the beta globin gene, a point mutation, A modification that causes this disease.

  • Chromosomal defects and specific gene mutations result in male infertility, and many idiopathic cases of infertility are thought to have a genetic basis as well.

    Academic text (2003)

Synonyms

mutation
vsgene mutation
  • Specialized
85 5.6

A permanent change in DNA that can cause new traits

is a specific heritable DNA alteration at one precise location
genetic mutation
vsgene mutation
  • Specialized
13 4.2

A permanent change in a gene's DNA that can alter traits

is a DNA change that is often transmitted to later generations

How Severe

chromosomal mutation
  • Specialized
6.3
frameshift
  • Specialized
9.6
gene mutation
  • Specialized
2 4.2
missense
  • Specialized
9.8

Surface Forms

gene mutation singular
gene mutations plural

Morphology

gene + mutation

The meaning 'a permanent alteration in the DNA sequence of a gene' is directly derivable from combining 'gene' (a DNA segment influencing characteristics) with 'mutation' (a permanent change in DNA), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to a change affecting a gene. The composition is literal and cross-linguistically common, making the phrase transparent even though it is technical.

Etymology

The compound noun gene mutation pictures a gene as a tiny set of instructions and mutation as a small 'change' to those instructions. Imagine a little typo in a recipe that makes the dish turn out differently; because this change is in the DNA and can be 'passed on' to children, gene mutation means a lasting change in a gene.