3.1 genes

def: gene

a heritable factor that controls a specific characteristic, consisting of a length of DNA and occupying a particular loci on a gene

define: allele

a specific form of gene that differs from other genes by one or a few bases only and occupies the same gene locus as other alleles of the gene

define: genome

the whole of the genetic information of an organism

define: genotype

the alleles of the organism

define: phenotype

characteristics of an organism

define: dominant allele

an allele that has the same effect on the phenotype whether it is present in the homozygous or heterozygous state

define: recessive allele

an allele that only has an effect on the phenotype when present in the homozygous state

define: homozygous

having two identical alleles of a gene

define: heterozygous

having two different alleles of a gene

describe the structure of eukaryotic chromosomes

linear strands of DNA and associated proteins

Explain the Difference between Allele and Gene

Gene: A heritable factor that controls a specific characteristic


Allele: A specific form of a gene that differs from other alleles by one or a few bases only; occupies the same gene locus as other alleles of the gene

Explain the difference between Genome and Proteome

The proteome is the totality of proteins expressed within a cell, tissue or organism at a certain time


The genome is the totality of genetic information of a cell, organism or organelle

Def: Locus

The particular position of a gene on a homologous chromosome