heterozygote
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of heterozygote
Explanation
A heterozygote is a living thing that has two different versions of a given gene. If a cat inherits a gene for black fur from its mother and one for gray fur from its father, it is a heterozygote. The different forms of a gene are called alleles. Organisms inherit one allele for each gene from their biological parents. If those genes are different — e.g., one for gray fur, and one for black fur — the offspring is a heterozygote with respect to fur color. What color fur will a heterozygous cat have? It depends on which gene is dominant. Since the gene for black fur is dominant, the cat would be black. However, the cat could pass on the non-dominant, or recessive, gene to its offspring.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For instance, the recessive lethal Curly allele in Drosophila affects wing shape in the heterozygote form but is lethal in the homozygote.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Individuals with mutations that result in dominant lethal alleles fail to survive even in the heterozygote form.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
This may occur when the mutant allele somehow interferes with the genetic message so that even a heterozygote with one wild-type allele copy expresses the mutant phenotype.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Mendel’s law of dominance states that in a heterozygote, one trait will conceal the presence of another trait for the same characteristic.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013
If a heterozygote is bred with a pure recessive the offspring are half heterozygote and half recessive.
From Hormones and Heredity by Cunningham, J. T.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
