cistron

[ sis-tron ]
/ ˈsɪs trɒn /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR cistron ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Genetics.

a segment of DNA that encodes for the formation of a specific polypeptide chain; a structural gene.

Origin of cistron

First recorded in 1955–60; cis- + tr(ans)- + -on1

OTHER WORDS FROM cistron

cis·tron·ic, adjective

Words nearby cistron

cisterna, cisternal puncture, cistern barometer, cisternography, cis-trans test, cistron, cistus, cistvaen, cis woman, cit, citadel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to cistron

operator gene, regulatory gene, structural gene

British Dictionary definitions for cistron

cistron
/ (ˈsɪstrən) /

noun

genetics the section of a chromosome that encodes a single polypeptide chain

Word Origin for cistron

C20: from cis-trans; see cis-trans test
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for cistron

cistron
[ sĭs′trŏn′ ]

n.

The smallest functional unit of heredity; a length of chromosomal DNA associated with a single biochemical function and essentially equivalent to a gene.

Other words from cistron

cis•tron′ic adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for cistron

cistron
[ sĭs′trŏn′ ]

A section of DNA that contains the genetic code for a single polypeptide and functions as a hereditary unit.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.