heterochromatin

American  

[het-er-uh-kroh-muh-tin] / ˌhɛt ər əˈkroʊ mə tɪn /

noun

Genetics.

1. the dense, highly stainable part of a chromosome.

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heterochromatin British  

/ ˌhɛtərəʊˈkrəʊmətɪn /

noun

1. the condensed part of a chromosome that stains strongly with basic dyes in nondividing cells and has little genetic activity Compare euchromatin

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Etymology

Origin of heterochromatin

First recorded in 1930–35; hetero- + chromatin

Example Sentences

A lower amount of long-lived RNAs caused problems in the heterochromatin architecture and stability of genetic material, eventually affecting the cells' viability.

From Science Daily

"Together with unidentified proteins, long-lived RNAs likely form a stable structure that somehow interacts with the heterochromatin."

From Science Daily

They found out that long-lived RNAs in neurons consist of mRNAs and non-coding RNAs and accumulate near the heterochromatin -- the densely packed region of the genome, typically homing inactive genes.

From Science Daily

In this analogy, dense regions of heterochromatin are like cities where people have many social interactions, while the rest of the genome is comparable to sparsely populated rural areas.

From Science Daily

In particular, they found that certain chromatin regions, with marks telling cells not to read a particular segment of DNA, attract each other and form dense clumps called heterochromatin, which are difficult for the cell to access.

From Science Daily