Gene

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A gene is the basic unit of heredity in a living organism. All living things depend on genes. Genes hold the information to build and maintain their cells and pass genetic traits to offspring. A modern working definition of a gene is "a locatable region of genomic sequence, corresponding to a unit of inheritance, which is associated with regulatory regions, transcribed regions, and or other functional sequence regions " . In common usage, the term gene often refers to what is known more accurately as an allele.

The notion of a gene has evolved with the science of genetics, which began when Gregor Mendel noticed that biological variations are inherited from parent organisms as specific, discrete traits. The biological entity responsible for defining traits was termed a gene, but the biological basis for inheritance remained unknown until DNA was identified as the genetic material in the 1940s. All organisms have many genes corresponding to many different biological traits, some of which are immediately visible, such as eye color or number of limbs, and some of which are not, such as blood type or increased risk for specific diseases, or the thousands of basic biochemical processes that comprise life.

In cells, a gene is a portion of DNA that contains both "coding" sequences that determine what the gene does, and "non-coding" sequences that determine when the gene is active (expressed). When a gene is active, the coding and non-coding sequences are copied in a process called transcription, producing an RNA copy of the gene's information. This piece of RNA can then direct the synthesis of proteins via the genetic code. In other cases, the RNA is used directly, for example as part of the ribosome. The molecules resulting from gene expression, whether RNA or protein, are known as gene products, and are responsible for the development and functioning of all living things.

In more technical terms, a gene is a locatable region of genomic sequence, corresponding to a unit of inheritance, and is associated with regulatory regions, transcribed regions and/or other functional sequence regions. The physical development and phenotype of organisms can be thought of as a product of genes interacting with each other and with the environment. A concise definition of a gene, taking into account complex patterns of regulation and transcription, genic conservation and non-coding RNA genes, has been proposed by Gerstein et al.: "A gene is a union of genomic sequences encoding a coherent set of potentially overlapping functional products".

For more information about Gene, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with gene sequence

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Termites? gut reactions show how to improve renewable fuel, researchers say

Biology / Biotechnology

created Nov 04, 2009 | popularity 2.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Termite damage costs the U.S. more than $1 billion each year, but that same destructive power might help solve one of the nation’s most pressing economic quandaries: sustainable fuel production.


Ratchet-like genetic mutations make evolution irreversible

Ratchet-like genetic mutations make evolution irreversible

Biology / Evolution

created Sep 23, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (6) | comments 8

(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Oregon research team has found that evolution can never go backwards, because the paths to the genes once present in our ancestors are forever blocked. The findings -- the ...


Hidden diversity in key environmental cleanup microbes found by systems biology assessment

Systems Biology Reveals Diversity in Key Environmental Cleanup Microbe

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Aug 31, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have completed the first thorough, system-level assessment of the diversity of an environmentally important genus of microbes known as Shewanella. Microbes belonging to that genus ...


Researchers develop new, more-sensitive assay for detecting DNA methylation in colon cancer

Biology / Biotechnology

created Aug 16, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

A study published in this week's online issue of Nature Biotechnology, demonstrates a unique and highly sensitive method for detecting methylation-associated cancers.


Study finds DNA barcoding requires caution without closer examination

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jun 25, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

The goal of DNA barcoding is to find a simple, cheap, and rapid DNA assay that can be converted to a readily accessible technical skill that bypasses the need to rely on highly trained taxonomic specialists for identifications ...


A marmoset at a zoo

World first: Japanese scientists create transgenic monkeys

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 27, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (9) | comments 8

In a controversial achievement, Japanese scientists announced on Wednesday they had created the world's first transgenic primates, breeding monkeys with a gene that made the animals' skin glow a fluorescent ...


A genomic CluE for cloud computing

Technology / Computer Sciences

created Apr 23, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

DNA sequencing is the next frontier in biological research. As new sequencing technology becomes more efficient and affordable, it is increasingly available to small laboratories. Thus, sequencing data is being generated ...


New Method Developed by UC San Diego Bioengineers Gives Regenerative Medicine a Boost

New Method Gives Regenerative Medicine a Boost

Biology / Biotechnology

created Apr 22, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Bioengineers at UC San Diego have developed a breakthrough method for sequencing-based methylation profiling, which could help fuel personalized regenerative medicine and even lead to more ...


Scientists hope to unlock mysteries of proteins

Physics / General Physics

created Apr 14, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 1

Proteins, the work-horse molecules necessary for virtually every human action from breathing to thinking, have proved an almost ghostly presence, daring scientists to fully grasp their structure and behavior. Now, physicists ...