Science / Genetics Glossary

Epistasis: One gene interfers with or prevents the expression of another gene located at a different locus.

Erythrocytes: The hemoglobin-containing cell found in the blood of vertebrates.

Escherichia Coli: Common bacterium that has been studied intensively by geneticists because of its small genome size, normal lack of pathogenicity, and ease of growth in the laboratory.

Ethics: The study of fundamental principles which defines values and determines moral duty and obligation.

Euchromatin: The chromatin that shows the staining behavior characteristic of the majority of the chromosomal complement.

Eugenics: The improvement of humanity by altering its genetic composition by encouraging breeding of those presumed to have desirable genes.

Eukaryote: Cell or organism with membrane- bound, structurally discrete nucleus and other well- developed subcellular compartments. Eukaryotes include all organisms except viruses, bacteria, and blue- . . . View Full Definition

Exogenous DNA: Dna originating outside an organism that has been introducted into the organism.

Exons: Portion of a gene included in the transcript of a gene and survives processing of the rna in the cell nucleus to become part of a spliced messenger of a structural rna in the cell cytoplasm: . . . View Full Definition

Exonuclease: An enzyme that cleaves nucleotides sequentially from free ends of a linear nucleic acid substrate.

Expressed Sequence Tag (EST): A short strand of dna that is a part of a cdna molecule and can act as identifier of a gene. Used in locating and mapping genes.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A link between excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy and birth defects: characteristics include small head and eyes, folds of the skin that obscure the inner juncture of the eyelids . . . View Full Definition

Filial Generation (F1-F2): Each generation of offspring in a breeding program, designated f1, f2, etc.

Fingerprinting: In genetics, the identification of multiple specific alleles on a person's dna to produce a unique identifier for that person.

Finished DNA Sequence: High-quality, low error, gap-free dna sequence of the human genome. Achieving this ultimate 2003 hgp goal requires additional sequencing to close gaps, reduce ambiguities, and allow for only . . . View Full Definition

Flow Cytometry: Analysis of biological material by detection of the light- absorbing or fluorescing properties of cells or subcellular fractions (i.e., chromosomes) passing in a narrow stream through a lase . . . View Full Definition

Flow Karyotyping: Use of flow cytometry to analyze and separate chromosomes according to their dna content.

Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH): A physical mapping approach that uses fluorescein tags to detect hybridization of probes with metaphase chromosomes and with the less- condensed somatic interphase chromatin.

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